


An Affair Of Affliction

by JRC10



Category: General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-12-26 03:33:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 102,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18274925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JRC10/pseuds/JRC10
Summary: This is a LoLexis story.This takes place around 2004/2005 and is a little AU.Alexis didn't hitch a semi.  She made it down the aisle with Ned.  There is no baby Kristina or Molly, because she was never with their dads.  She doesn't know about Sam.Luis Alcazar still died by Alexis's hand shortly after big Kristina was killed in an explosion meant for Sonny.  And Alexis still got off by feigning mentally ill.Alexis and Ned have been married a few years, and Lex's worst Q fears have all come true.





	1. Interlude

Interlude

_______________________________

 

“I see the Cassadine is letting the riffraff in again,” said Edward Quartermaine in his tone of constant offense. 

Alexis turned to the front door and watched as Sonny and Carly walked in the foyer of the Quartermaine Mansion. Alexis said, “Considering little Michael is a shareholder, and Sonny and Carly are his guardians, I don’t see how I could’ve excluded them from this engagement, Edward.” 

“Come on, Alexis,” said Ned. “This is a Christmas party for the ELQ Charity Foundation. Their attendance wasn’t required.”

Alexis snagged another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She snatched it up so quickly some of the liquid spilled on the bolero jacket she wore over her strapless dress. She tried unsuccessfully to wipe off the moisture while she responded. “Considering they donated nearly as much to the foundation this year as you have, darling, I thought it unwise to neglect them.”

Edward grumbled some more, “So they can just buy their way into polite society with their dirty money? Not much different than a Cassadine.”

Alexis snapped her head to Edward. She couldn’t help raising her chin and looking down her nose as she spoke. “My family is descended from royalty. We can trace our lineage and our fortune back thousands of years. The Quartermaines can hardly claim so much.”

“Since when do you care about fortunes and lineage?” interjected Ned. “Or the Cassadines for that matter?” 

“Since when did you start siding with Edward against your wife on every little thing?” snapped Alexis. She drank down the rest of the champagne. 

Ned moved close to Alexis with a critical eye and took her empty flute. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

She had to force herself not to pull away from revulsion. “Not nearly.” She grabbed another glass on a tray a waiter brought floating by. Alexis pulled at the heavy Quartermaine heirloom pearls around her neck that were irritating her skin.

“What the hell is he doing here?” demanded Ned. 

Alexis turned around to see to whom her husband was referring. “Oh, God,” she whispered, taking her automatic few steps back at the arrival of the tall man removing his jacket at the door.

“I invited him,” said Edward.

“Why?” said Ned.

“Let’s just say Mr. Alcazar and I have some shared interests.”

“As in your mutual hatred of Sonny Corinthos?”

Edward didn’t say anything more, he just bounced on the balls of his feet like a child restraining himself at Christmas. As soon as Alcazar checked his coat with the staff, his face turned and found Alexis. 

As always happened when Lorenzo looked at Alexis with that fierce level of animosity, her face flushed with heat. She hardly knew if it was from shame, fear, or guilt anymore. All she knew was that every time they were in a room together, he eyed her with the same disgust and rage as the day they met, and she had a bone deep aversion to him. She was certain he’d find some opportunity to step close into her personal space to make her uncomfortable. He loved that his face reminded her of one of her greatest sins. It never ceased to amaze Alexis that it had been years since she killed his brother, yet his anger never seemed to fade.

Edward nearly skipped over to Alcazar to begin an animated discussion.

“He’s such a hypocrite,” said Alexis eyeing Edward. “Scoffing at having Sonny here, who is family to Michael, by the way, yet inviting a known international arms dealer into the house with no ties to the family.”

“Well, I’m certain grandfather is up to something,” said Ned. “If they destroy Sonny, AJ will probably get custody of Michael, and Carly will probably go running to Alcazar. An allegiance is win-win for both of them.”

“Like I said...hypocrite.”

“Grandfather is just fighting for his family. I don’t always approve of his methods, but his heart is in the right place.”

“Ha! You actually believe there’s a heart rattling around in there?”

Ned turned to Alexis, “You did once. What’s changed?”

Alexis just rolled her eyes. Of course Ned wouldn’t see why things had changed. “You know, Ned, you’re a Quartermaine through and through. Eddie Maine, Ned Ashton...both are aliases. You should really just change your name to fit your real identity. Edward Lawrence Quartermaine.” She said his surname like it was a curse. And to her, it was.

Ned dropped Alexis’s empty flute on a tray, and grabbed a fresh glass for himself. “And you’re still a Cassadine through and through. You can take a Cassadine out of the Mausoleum, but you can’t take the Mausoleum out of the Cassadine.”

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. “You know, Ned. I’d hoped when we got married, we’d stop being gatekeepers for our families and become them for each other. Silly me to hold onto some semblance of hope. Maybe I’m not quite Cassadine enough.”

“Oh, you’re Cassadine plenty.” 

Alexis cringed at his animosity. When did things get this bad? 

Ned drained his glass in one gulp before walking off.

Alexis hid away in a corner trying not to draw unwanted attention. Thankfully most guests were able to read her mood and keep their distance rather than approach the woman looking coiled up and ready to attack. 

What she really wanted was to run upstairs to her room. No, it was Ned’s room. No, that wasn’t true either. It was the Quartermaine’s room. And her husband was the Quartermaine’s gatekeeper. How could she possibly think marrying the man would make him hers? Instead, he made her a Quartermaine asset.

Hell, could she even call herself an asset anymore? All she was doing was running a charitable foundation that was such a machine it could run itself. They wouldn’t let her lawyer for ELQ because Edward was too paranoid Ned would stage a coup. They kept her busy with nonsense family functions and business meetings where she had no input or effect. She only had one client anymore, and the Quartermaines didn’t approve of him. She’d endured many family battles to keep her last client.

“Hello, Alexis,” said Sonny.

“Sonny,” she greeted him. “I see you brought Carly. Things are still going well between the two of you?”

He shrugged. “We’re making it work, for Michael’s sake.”

“And the baby?”

“Yes, for Morgan, too.”

“And Carly is behaving?”

Sonny gave a pathetic nodding shrug.

“And are you behaving? Not knocking up any mistresses?” she asked

He gave her an angelic grin.

Alexis nodded her reluctant approval. “Good. You’re quite the happy, little family,” she said sarcastically. “AJ doesn’t really stand a chance in getting Michael back since he signed over his rights. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

“Unless he can prove you coerced him to do so?”

Sonny smiled a delighted grin. She tried not to scoff at the appearance of his dimples. “I’d like to see him try.”

Alexis sighed. As disgusted as she was with Sonny, he was still the person she was most fond of at the party. Her only friend in the room aside from the maid.

Her eyes landed on Carly tucked away in a corner with Lorenzo hunching over her. His hands were on her arms, and it looked like he was almost snarling. She looked like she was about to cream. That lady got off on being treated like crap; pitting her husband against her lover. “Should your wife be fraternizing with the enemy? I can tell you, that’s not going to look very good to the court, especially with all these Quartermaines watching.”

“Dammit,” grumbled Sonny. He stalked away to go round up Carly. 

Alexis found another flute full of champagne and went back to avoiding her guests. 

Her solitude was interrupted by a snarky old man’s voice. “Alexis, dear, you should really think about putting that glass down or you’re not going to be able to host this party, much less represent the family foundation.”

Alexis turned to look at Edward with all the venom she could muster. She tipped the drink back and drank it down with practiced efficiency. She grew up with shots of vodka in her dinner water. A little champagne was nothing. She handed the empty glass to Edward, then, she grabbed another passing glass and raised it to him in salute. 

“The nerve of Ned to bring a drunken, useless Cassadine into this family...”

In a fit of rage, and in avoidance of assaulting the family patriarch, Alexis turned on her heel and hurried upstairs before he could finish his sentence. Wanting also to avoid her marital bed, she ran into the first guest room from the landing. 

She was so damn angry! Angry at Ned, at Edward, at Sonny, at everyone. 

She paced the room wiping tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes. Why did she do it? Why did she marry into this godforsaken family?! Why did she let them drain away any semblance of the woman she once was?!

“God dammit!” she yelled. She picked up a vase on the nightstand and threw it against the wall. “I hate them! I fucking hate them all!”

She yanked off her pearls, breaking the clasp and threw them with the debris of the vase.

A darkly amused chuckle resonated from the door. The sound might have been pleasant if it wasn’t filled with schadenfreude. Alexis turned around knowing to whom the laugh belonged, but still took a step back when she saw his face. His brother’s face.

You’d think she’d be used to seeing thugs in suits. But Lorenzo Alcazar in a tuxedo threw her off balance. He seemed so refined. So civilized. So...

Well, she knew better.

“You know, Mrs. Ashton,” said Lorenzo, “I’ve pictured countless methods of torture and punishment for you, but never, in my wildest dreams, did I think leaving you to your own devices would create such self-imposed misery.”

“I’m a Cassadine,” she sniffed. “It was inevitable. Don’t you Alcazars expect the same degree of despair in your lives?”

“The difference is we Alcazars never pretend to deserve better. Your family thinks their incestual breeding makes them superior to mortals somehow.” He gave a menacing laugh, “I bet you don’t feel all that superior now?”

Alexis turned around to face the wall. She didn’t want to look at his smug face. She hated that he could see her misery. She wondered if it was evident to the rest of the world, too, or if he was the only one who cared to search for it every time he saw her. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked him without turning around. “Gloating at my misery?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” 

“Are you sure you’re not here to take your anger at Carly out on me? I saw your lovers’ spat downstairs.”

“We’d have to be lovers to have a spat. You have no idea what you witnessed downstairs, so keep your poorly conceived assumptions to yourself.”

She heard his footsteps stalk toward her. Just as she predicted, he closed the space between them. His proximity was such she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. 

Why did everything about him seem so menacing?

Startled, a finger grazed the base of her neck. A prickling trail of fire followed in its wake. His voice rumbled low in her ear. “I’m glad you took off that ridiculous pearl collar. You should really take to wearing rubies. A slit of blood, red rubies would look delightful across your throat.”

“Your threats are becoming far less subtle, and much more personal.” She wondered if he knew how her mother was killed.

“No more than you deserve.”

Alexis turned to face him, pushing his hand away from her neck. “What I deserve for protecting myself from your brother trying to throw me off a balcony? From your brother who murdered my sister?”

Hot, raging anger flared in his eyes. He took a step closer so their bodies touched. “Again, Ms. Cassadine, you think your deeds are above reproach. Where I come from, they’re a death sentence.”

“Then kill me already! Quit with your idle threats and send me to meet your brother in hell!”

His lip snarled up as a low, angry growl vibrated out from the core of his body. His hand snaked up her chest to her throat, where he grabbed her firmly. He spoke with a low and dangerous tone, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You want me to end your suffering. Too much of a coward to do it yourself?”

“I’m just tired of your bellyaching about your poor, victimized, murdering brother who gave dozens of people a million reason to kill him. Too bad none of them had the guts to do it, and it was left to me.”

She felt a rush of adrenaline, and for the first time, arousal, as his hand squeezed tighter around her neck. She could still breathe, but there was no doubt who was in control. If he wanted to snap her neck or cut off her airway, his strong hands would have no problem. 

But instead of killing her, she watched his eyes drop to her lips. His mouth opened in a huff of breath.

How had she never noticed quite how bright the blues in his eyes stood out against his dark features? How had she never seen the sharp line of his nose or his chiseled jaw? The slant of his pink lips and their contrast to the scruff of a beard threatening to grow?

His thumb lifted from her throat and traced over her full bottom lip.

Voices from outside grew close to the room. “Dammit, Carly, get in here!”

“I have nothing to say to you, Sonny!”

“The hell you don’t!”

Lorenzo moved quickly pushing Alexis into a closet to their left, and he followed her in. It didn’t occur to her to wonder why he was hiding them away. And she didn’t know why she kept quiet when he left the closet door slightly ajar to listen in.

“What did you think you were doing down there, Carly?”

“I did nothing wrong! Lorenzo approached ME!”

“And you did nothing to send him away!”

“It’s not my responsibility to police Lorenzo.”

"You get off on the attention!"

Alexis was pressed up against the wall of the closet, with Lorenzo’s tall, imposing figure pressing against her front. She looked up to him wondering why the cloak and dagger. He raised a finger to her lips to silence her. He didn’t take his eyes off hers as they listened in.

“Don’t you get it? If we can’t keep it together, AJ’s going to have a chance at getting Michael.”

“You won’t let that happen. You’d kill him first.”

“I’d rather not have to explain to my son which patch of wilderness I buried his biological father.”

“Michael would never have to know.”

“People talk! The suspicion alone could fuck the kid up, Carly. Why can’t you just play by the rules and stay away from Alcazar?”

Alexis could feel Lorenzo tense around her.

“Like I said, he approached me! I can’t help it that he can’t keep his hands off me.”

Alexis heard a quiet scoff come from the man pressed against her. Clearly Carly wasn’t painting an accurate picture for Sonny. 

“Do I need to handle him? Is he threatening you?”

“Of course not. He just can’t seem to let go of me.”

“Jesus Christ,” Lorenzo whispered almost inaudibly.

Fearful they would be found, Alexis lifted her hand to cover his mouth. There was no good explanation to give Sonny, her client, her only friend in the house, for holing up in a closet with his mortal enemy.

Alexis had to hold back a squeal when she felt Lorenzo’s teeth latch onto the palm of her hand. In the dark, she couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or admonishing her, not even when he gave a firm nip of her skin before letting go.

“And what about you? Can you let go of him?”

Alexis squirmed in discomfort, wanting to push Lorenzo away. His body was pressing too hard against her, and she was starting to overheat with his warm body so close while she wore her constricting bolero jacket. She needed him to step back. But she met only firm resistance. She pushed up against him again, and a jolt of pleasure ran through her body. She realized his thigh was pressing between her legs.

The scent of his aftershave, or soap, or pheromones, or whatever, overwhelmed her nose. She exhaled a breath far noisier than she should. It was Lorenzo’s turn to cover her mouth.

“He means nothing to me, Sonny. You know that.”

“Do I?”

“He can’t hold a candle to you…”

Alexis stopped listening to the intruders outside the closet when Lorenzo’s free hand dropped down to her ass. His hands were larger than she ever realized. He gripped an entire cheek of her ass and pulled her against his thigh. His other hand still covered her mouth stopping the moan that tried to escape when her clit rubbed against his him through the fabric of her dress.

She could hardly see him, but thought he might be smirking down at her. Her hips moved against his thigh of their own accord, rocking up and down. She could feel how wet she was and wondered when that happened. She was soaked! That couldn’t have been from a couple of rubs of her clit against his thigh. She realized she must have been turned on by the man long before he touched her.

Then she realized how turned on he was. Surprised she didn’t realize his erection before, she rubbed her body against it. Her ignorance could only be attributed to the shock of the sheer size of his cock, because it was pressing into her upper abdomen, and even as tall as Lorenzo was, she wasn’t expecting a dick that size. She rubbed herself against it.

What the hell was she doing?

He stifled a grunt of his own at her attentions to him. He dropped his hand from covering her mouth, and used it to pull aside her jacket. He quietly yanked it down her arms as their hips kept their rhythm.

With her shoulders now bare in her strapless gown, his head dropped, and his mouth found her skin. The shock of pleasure stunned her; she didn’t know if it was because no one besides Ned had touched her like that in nearly ten years, or if it was because it was Lorenzo Alcazar’s mouth that was on her. 

Dear God, he could move his tongue. She reached into his coat, wrapping her hands around his back. Her hips pressed harder, her pussy dying for release. 

When was the last time she came? She couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter, because the orgasm building inside her would shatter the memory of any others she’d had on the last few years.

When she was about to come, she squeezed herself close to him, her body tensed against his, and he grabbed her hair making her head fall back so he could ravish her neck. He sucked on her sensitive skin. Every flick of his tongue and nip of his teeth set her ablaze. Orgasm hit, and it was all she could do to keep her mouth closed, though in the throes of her passion, she completely forgot why that was important.

As she came down from her high, she forced herself to look in Lorenzo’s eyes. Hunger and triumph lit his face in the dark. His heavy cock pressed against her stomach reminding her he’d yet to be satisfied. She wanted to grab it, to feel it’s thick heavy weight in her hands. She had a fierce compulsion to reciprocate the pleasure he just gave her.

But all they could do was stare in each other’s eyes. 

After countless moments passed, Lorenzo whispered, “I think they’re gone.”

Alexis blinked trying to remember who he was talking about. Lorenzo peeked through the crack in the door before pushing it open. He stepped away from her abruptly, making her feel oddly bereft. 

Alexis shook her head recalling the circumstances that led to their closet interlude. She bent down to pick up her jacket, then stepped out of the closet. 

Lorenzo stood a few feet away, staring at the wall. His face hinting at anger and revulsion, though she didn’t know if it was meant for her or for himself. 

She walked past him to the bureau that held a large mirror on top. She inspected her appearance. Her hair was a mess; her updo beginning to fall down. Black smudges replaced the once perfect makeup around her eyes. Strangely, her lipstick was still intact. She realized their lips had never met. The only bare skin that touched between them was his mouth against her neck. She traced where his lips had traveled. 

“You asshole,” she said. She touched the dark reddish-purple mark he left at the base of her neck where it met her shoulder. That mark wouldn’t go away for at least a week.

He smirked at her from the mirror, and she knew the hickey was intentional. He must’ve been trying to cause more problems for her. She watched him walk to the other side of the room where the remnants of the broken vase lay untouched. He sifted through the pieces of ceramic and found her pearl necklace. He walked toward her with a sick smile creeping up from the right side of his mouth. 

She froze when he stood directly behind her. He was a full head taller than her, even in her heels. His hand grazed the mark he left on her body. She couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine. The look of triumph he wore back in the closet stole over his face for just a moment before he settled with a cold, impassivity. 

Lorenzo lifted his other hand carrying the pearls and inspected the broken clasp. “It looks like you won’t be wearing these again tonight.” He pulled the pearls around her neck and held them up in the back. The necklace completely hid the mark he left on her neck. “Get this clasp fixed in the morning, and you’ll have the perfect Quartermaine collar to cover-up the Cassadine you really are.” 

He dipped his face to her hair and inhaled deep before dropping the pearls and pulling away. Alexis caught the necklace before it hit the floor once again. When she looked to the door, Lorenzo was gone.

Alexis stared in the mirror long after he left. She pulled out the clips from her hair and wiped off her makeup. She made no effort to conceal her new mark because she had no intention of returning to the party. Ned would have to make excuses for her. Rather, she walked down the hall to her room and her marital bed where she intended on avoiding her spouse by sleeping (or feigning sleep) and all the guilt that would inevitably follow when she looked in his eyes.


	2. Dinner

Dinner

_______________________________

 

Ned didn’t notice the hickey on her neck. Any traces of guilt Alexis might’ve had over letting another man rub her off in a closet while necking her so hard she was bruised for a week were quickly replaced with resentment over his neglect of his wife.

Alexis was actually sad to see the hickey go. Not that she was at all interested in Lorenzo Alcazar marking her up, but it was a mild form of protest to living her life in its ongoing state of apathy. For weeks, she looked for traces of the mark in the mirror, even long after it was gone.

Needing to get away from the claustrophobia of the house, Alexis went to Kelly’s for brunch. Well, she called it brunch. She really had no reason to wake early in the morning, so she arrived to breakfast late. That suited her fine, she didn’t want to be a part of the rush. When her coffee was brought to her, she fished in her purse for a little clear bottle to mix with the drink, rather than the traditional creamer.

She looked up at the sound of the opening door and saw Lorenzo walking through. She recovered from the initial shock of seeing him before Lorenzo noticed she was in the room. When his eyes flashed in her direction, she was pleased to see she wasn’t the only one taken aback. His stride faltered a brief moment. And in that moment, she saw that same look of fire from their rendezvous closet. It was gone in an instant, replaced with his typical mask of indifference.

He held her gaze with that blank stare slightly longer than he typically would before heading to the counter to place his order. 

Alexis wished her coffee would hurry up and cool down. She tried to take a gulp to get the hidden vodka into her bloodstream, but she burned her tongue. Grateful he wasn’t looking in her direction, Alexis still turned her face in embarrassment. 

She was glad nothing had really changed between them. She was still the woman who killed his brother, and he was still the man who threatened and intimidated her every chance he got. 

“Hello, Mrs. Ashton.”

Alexis flushed at the sound of Lorenzo’s voice. She took a moment to breathe before looking up to face him. 

Damn, there were those vibrant, blue eyes again! He was really a beautiful sight if you could get past the idea of him looking exactly like the man who killed her sister. Which she couldn’t.

He carried his coffee to go. Thank goodness. 

“Mr. Alcazar, how can I help you?”

“I wanted to see if you’ve recovered from the Christmas party. I know it was an eventful night for you.”

Alexis tried not to look at his mouth. She knew now what that mouth was capable of.

“I don’t know what you mean. There was truly nothing of significance to remember of the occasion.”

He scoffed, “Is that what you told yourself when you slept with your husband that night? Or is that what you said when you looked at your purple neck in the mirror the next morning? Pray tell, where are your pearls today?”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “What is it you want?”

“You know exactly what I want. I’ve been clear about that since the day we met.”

Her misery, she knew. But it was hard to believe that was entirely true by the memory of his thigh between her legs. “You’ve been sending mixed messages of late.”

He almost smiled. “Vengeance doesn’t have to be miserable for me to administer. Just for you to endure.”

“So that’s what that was? Vengeance? Forcing yourself on me is all a part of your plan to get justice for your brother.”

“By the moisture you left on my trousers, Mrs. Ashton, I’d hardly believe for a moment I forced you to do anything. No, my vengeance should come in the form of your personal self-hatred and the destruction of the sanctity of your marriage.”

Alexis shrugged. She hadn’t realize she got him wet that night. 

“Tell me, what did Mr. Ashton say when he saw the result of our...um...escapade?” Lorenzo reached down and grazed a finger over the spot on her neck. 

Alexis shivered and looked down at her coffee, embarrassed that Ned didn’t look at her enough to notice. 

“Playing it close to the chest, huh? We’ll see about that next time.”

“You can’t possibly think it’s going to happen again? You’ll have to find your vengeance another way.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so certain.” His mouth curved into an arrogant smirk. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His smirk turned into a full-blown grin. “What are your plans tonight, Mrs. Ashton?”

“None of your business. Did you really think I’d agree to make plans with you?” 

Part of Alexis thought an evening with Lorenzo might, at least, be more interesting than another ELQ dinner at a snooty French restaurant in which she’d be cast aside and ignored, and forced to drink herself in to an oblivion.

“I wouldn’t dream of asking.” His smile didn’t fade. For some reason, it made Alexis nervous. “I won’t take up anymore of your time this morning. Good day, Mrs. Ashton.”

Alexis watched Lorenzo stride out of Kelly’s with his sexy, contained swagger and undeniable confidence. She ignored the burn from the coffee as she drank back the vodka mixed inside. 

Dear God, she thought as she tried to shake the visual of him walking away. She really needed to find a way to reconnect with her husband. She wouldn’t be so vulnerable to Alcazar if she and Ned were on solid ground. Maybe she’d try at the business dinner they had planned that evening...

________________________________________

 

“You look nice,” said Ned with more nonchalance than Alexis could stand. 

Nice? she thought. Nice?

She was dressed in a cocktail dress that cost twice as much as what the average American made in a month. The color was a deep shade of wine, and it hung off the shoulders, emphasizing the curve inward of her waist. The hem stopped at about mid thigh showing more leg than she was accustomed. 

Add to that all the effort she put into her hair and makeup, she thought she looked much better than nice! 

Well, at least it was a compliment and not a criticism. And at least he noticed her, at all.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked, taking in Ned’s denim pants and black button-up.

“I’m not going to the dinner. You and grandfather can handle it.”

“I know we can handle it,” she said. “I just thought my husband might want to have a nice meal with his wife.”

“It’s not a date, Alexis. It’s a business dinner. And I already made plans to meet up with some of the guys at the jazz club and play a little.”

“The jazz club?”

“Yeah.” He ignored her exasperation and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be home late tonight.”

“Ned…” she said, throwing her hands up.

“What? It’s mostly a real estate deal. I don’t need to be there.”

Alexis hung her head. He was clueless. “You should want to be there.”

“At a stuffy dinner to sell off some unwanted property rather than playing with the guys?”

“At a French restaurant with your wife!” Who went to great lengths to look nice for you, she didn’t say.

Ned sighed in audible frustration. “Fine, I’ll call the guys and cancel.”

“No! I don’t want you to cancel on the guys.”

Ned looked incredulous. “You were just saying you wanted me to go with you!”

“I want you to WANT to go with me! If you’re forcing yourself to go, you’ll be grouchy the whole time. I don’t want to be around you with your bad attitude.”

“You know what? I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t! I might as well enjoy myself a little before I have to deal with your inevitable disappointment.” Ned grabbed his coat and stormed out of the room.

“Bastard,” mumbled Alexis. She felt tears welling in her eyes, so she did her best not to blink. She didn’t want to ruin her makeup. She took a few deep breaths and blew the air up toward her eyes trying to dry them. “Ok,” she assured herself. “Ok. Let’s go.”

Tracy Quartermaine rode along with Alexis and Edward. Alexis endured their snide comments of, “We’re selling property, Alexis, not our self respect,” in reference to her dress, and, “Try drinking wine instead of vodka tonight. If you’re going to be a sloppy drunk, you might as well get the tannins from the grapes for some sort of health benefit.,” and, “Let’s leave the negotiating to the real lawyers tonight.”

Their words really didn’t matter. Nothing they could say would be as hurtful as her husband not wanting her anymore. 

It was a relief to step out into the cold air on the way into the restaurant. She let the freezing sensation of the crisp January wind overwhelm her and drown out the annoying comments of, “Are you trying to catch pneumonia to get attention?” coming from behind her. 

She took a deep breath before walking through the front doors…

...right in front of Lorenzo Alcazar.

“Jesus Christ,” he said. He looked her up and down. He seemed to visibly inflate at the sight of her. His shoulders broadened, he stood his full height, and he looked down on her with unmistakable lust. 

This new kind of interaction with him was going to be an adjustment. 

He’s just a thug in a suit, she told herself. A very sexy thug in a very expensive suit, but still just a thug in a suit. 

Her lips felt dry all the sudden, so she wet them with her tongue. A twitch let loose in Alcazar’s jaw. It took a moment to realize Lorenzo was flanked by several associates in black suits. She wondered if they were bodyguards, advisors, or attorneys. It didn’t matter what their jobs were. They were the mafia.

“Ah, Lorenzo!” said Edward. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Alexis felt blindsided. “You didn’t think to tell me this business meeting was with Lorenzo Alcazar?”

“You didn’t ask, dear.”

“Please, Alexis,” said Tracy, “if anyone should feel uncomfortable, it’s Lorenzo. He’s done nothing to you. You, on the other hand…”

Lorenzo interrupted. “This is a business meeting. I don’t see any reason to get caught up in personal vendettas.”

“That’s very big of you,” said Edward.

“Our table is waiting,” said Lorenzo. “Shall we?”

Alexis let everyone walk in front of her before following suit. She wanted a moment to gather her bearings. They were led back to a private room; it had a long table covered in a classic white tablecloth, with candlelit centerpieces. 

Edward sat at the head of one side of the table, and Lorenzo at the head of the other. All the advisors, attorneys, and agents, filled the rest of the table quickly. The only seat remaining was one adjacent on the left side of Lorenzo. After their conversation that morning, Alexis wondered if he prearranged it as such.

She wasn’t going to let him get to her. Especially not on a night when Ned had already made her so vulnerable. She sat down at the empty seat without complaint nor any sign of discomfort. 

“What sounds good, Mrs. Ashton?” he asked.

“Truthfully, Mr. Alcazar, I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“We might be able to remedy that.”

Alexis couldn’t help looking at him. His face was set in stone, but he couldn’t hide the fire in his eyes. There was no mistaking the innuendo in his words. “Doubtful.”

The business they seemed to be discussing was the sale of a number of properties on waterfront in ELQ’s possession. Alexis did as she was instructed by her mother-in-law and grandfather-in-law and stayed out of the negotiations. It was getting easier for her distance herself, to not get involved. 

When she first married Ned, the systematic suppression of her voice took her off guard. She fought tooth and nail, stood her ground, and even got her way a few times. But the Quartermaines were just as effective as Helena in making her feel small and insignificant.

Lorenzo was surprisingly quiet, letting his people do the negotiating for him. Though he rarely spared her a glance, Alexis felt his focus dialed in on her the entire evening. She could tell he was watching her from his periphery. 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Quartermaine,” one of Lorenzo’s people responded to Tracy, “I just don’t understand your concerns. Mr. Alcazar is being more than generous with his offer.”

“My concern is primarily about the optics of the transaction. ELQ can’t be associated with...nefarious connections. Doing business with Mr. Alcazar could put a strain on the company’s public image.”

“It’s just the sale of a few properties.”

Lorenzo cleared his throat. “I’m curious what you think, Mrs. Ashton?”

The table quieted down and looked their way. Edward seemed shocked Lorenzo wanted Alexis to speak. Alexis didn’t want to share her opinion, not because she was instructed to keep her mouth shut, but rather, to be called out by Lorenzo in front of her in-laws was embarrassing. He had to be messing with her, and she wanted to know his play. 

Alexis felt a nudge of her foot from Lorenzo’s direction. She looked up, and he was observing her expectantly. She narrowed her eyes before responding.

“I think your offer is ridiculously generous. If ELQ accepts, they’ll make themselves vulnerable to investigation should your illegal enterprises ever be brought to light. And given the increasing hostilities between you and Sonny Corinthos, that likelihood seems higher and higher as time passes. As tempting as the offer is, they should accept only five percent over market value or keep the property until it’s value rises.”

“They?” asked Alcazar with a smirk. “Don’t you work for ELQ, too?”

Alexis flushed at her slip.

“Now, now, Alexis,” said Edward. “Mr. Alcazar isn’t currently under any investigation. I don’t see why we shouldn’t accept his offer as it stands. We can add a few lines to the contract saying the sale is being made with assurances from Mr. Alcazar that the properties won’t be used for any illicit business activity.”

Alexis laughed. “Sure, that will stop the government from investigating an obviously overpriced transaction on the WATERFRONT in Port Charles. A promise from a mobster. Do you really think Mr. Alcazar wants waterfront property for the view?”

“Well, look here, missy…” Edward started his rant. 

Alexis looked up at the ceiling as Edward went on his tirade. Maybe that was Lorenzo’s play at getting her to speak up. He wanted to cause her trouble, after all.

The foot that nudged her earlier moved around the back of her heel so their legs were touching. She tried to pull her foot away, but his legs were so long, they just followed. Alexis gave up and tried to block it out, as she was so used to doing with everything else. She knew if she focused too much on anything at the moment, the tears that built up when she left Ned at the house would finally fall.

Lorenzo was staring at Edward with a critical eye. She wondered why that was, as Edward was the one pleased with Lorenzo’s offer. Tracy was the one putting up some degree of resistance, pointing a finger at Lorenzo’s lawyer making accusations about him setting up ELQ in some way. 

Alexis signaled the waiter. “Vodka. Rocks.”

“No wonder you’re miserable,” Lorenzo mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. 

Alexis kept her face impassive. She had to remember Lorenzo was more of an enemy to her than the people on the other end of the table. There was no camaraderie between the two of them.

Alexis accepted the vodka brought to her and took a large gulp. 

Under the table, she felt a hand settle on her knee. She tried to jerk away, but the fingers clamped down holding her in place. Her head snapped angrily to Lorenzo. His expression was completely impassive, but she could see the tension in his arm. 

It was a strange thing to have another man’s hand on her. Lorenzo big palm and long fingers nearly wrapped around her thigh. 

She closed her eyes, and even with the heated conversation going on around her, all she could hear was the sound of her own ragged breath and the thundering rhythm of her heart. All she could feel was his hand and the pulse of terrifying pleasure radiating from where he touched.

Their food was brought out, and his hand still didn’t move. His arms were so long, no one could tell he was reaching over. He sat there eating unaffected, while Alexis did her best to choke down the broth of the soup she ordered.

Alexis tried to tune back into where the conversation had gone with the rest of the table. Something about inspections of the property to ensure something or other. His hand was moving north. 

“Oh, God,” she whispered under her breath. He gave her leg a playful squeeze. Her hand dropped down to his to try to hold him still. 

Why did she have to wear such a short dress? 

“I’m sure Alexis can oversee the inspections,” said Edward. “She doesn’t have much else to do.”

“Do you think we can count on her?” asked Tracy.

Fuck it! she thought. Alexis let go of Lorenzo’s hand giving him permission to do whatever he wanted. She wanted to punish the Quartermaines, and she wanted to punish Ned. 

She opened her legs an inch wider. Lorenzo took that as invitation to slide his hand up her dress. Alexis felt his fingertips graze up her inner thigh. She tensed a moment when he reached her panties. 

He must have sensed her tension because he stroked a finger gently on the outside of the fabric. She didn’t know if it was meant as reassurance or to turn her on. Either way, it worked. She relaxed, spreading her legs a little farther.

“That’s settled, then,” said Tracy. “Unless you have any objections, Lorenzo?”

Lorenzo slipped his finger underneath her panties. Alexis had ensured she was smooth for Ned that evening, and noticed Lorenzo’s breath hitch when his finger rubbed over her soft lips. She didn’t anticipate how nice it would be to be touched in such a way. By Lorenzo of all people. In public!

He coughed to clear his throat and said, “No objections. I’m sure Alexis and I can figure out a way to put our past differences aside and work towards a mutually beneficial goal.”

His finger spilt her cleft and ran up and down her folds, spreading her arousal up and over her clit. Alexis bit her lip and sank a fraction lower in her chair, trying to give him better access.

“And you’re going to be grown up about it, Alexis?” asked Tracy.

Lorenzo dipped his finger deep inside her sex, and Alexis stifled a moan. She hoped her hesitation in responding appeared as though she was struggling with the idea of working with him. She sucked in a breath before she said, “I’m sure I can find a way to accommodate, Mr. Alcazar.”

Lorenzo pushed in another finger.

“Wonderful,” declared Edward. “Let’s get the paperwork finalized this week. Alexis and Lorenzo can work together to coordinate the inspections, and we can wrap up this deal in thirty days.”

Good God, his fingers were so long. And he knew how to use them. He massaged her pussy lips and her clit with this thumb and his palm as his fingers dipped in and out. He’d found her g-spot in moments, a feat that took Ned years to accomplish. 

Alexis closed her eyes as the rest of the table toasted the sale. Lorenzo relentlessly worked her pussy. She peered at him through her lashes, and the expression on his face was one of determination and pure sex.

Ignoring her mother-in-law’s voice was never easier than when Lorenzo Alcazar’s fingers were moving inside her. Soon, she was completely unaware of the entire room around her. All there was, was her and Lorenzo, and his masterful fingers. 

He licked his lips, clearly conveying his desire to taste her. “Oh, God,” she mouthed, unable to get out the words. Orgasm started where his thumb rubbed her clit, and it quickly spread to where his fingers were buried deep. She squeezed those fingers, but they only picked up their pace. His eyes were hard, and his fingers wouldn’t stop. Orgasm moved up her spine to her heart, then shot up to her head. She wasn’t certain if she let out a moan or if it was internal, all she could do was hope no one aside from Lorenzo noticed. Her eyes were closed, and her body shuddered as she rode out wave after wave of pleasure.

She kept her eyes closed after her orgasm finished. She settled her breath and waited for her heart to steady. When she opened her eyes, she looked to Lorenzo who had a satisfied smirk on his lips. His fingers withdrew from her sex leaving a trail of moisture down her leg where they touched. He lifted his hand to his mouth, and hidden by his other hand, he subtly licked his fingers. His eyes closed for a moment as he inhaled deep. 

Alexis turned to look at the rest of the table. No one was paying attention to them. Lorenzo’s associates were keeping Tracy and Edward occupied. Her eyes flashed back to Lorenzo. 

He was wiping his hand on his napkin with an arrogant and self-satisfied grin on his face. Alexis was still too full of endorphins to be irritated with him. 

The rest of dinner was a blur. The only thing she remembered was she and Lorenzo were the last ones to stand up from the table and head for the door. He guided her out of the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back. He walked her to the Quartermaine’s waiting limo. 

“So, I’ll be in touch with you later this week to set up a time for the inspection,” he said.

She just nodded quietly. She felt herself retreating inward, blocking out as much stimulation from the outside world as she possibly could.

“Are you going to be ok?” he asked. It sounded as though his voice softened for the question.

“Does that matter to you?”

He frowned and brought himself up to his full height. “Of course not.”

“Then don’t ask. I’ll await your call.” 

She moved to reach for the door handle. He stopped her by grabbing her arm firmly. He brought his mouth to her ear and said, “I bet you will.”

He let go of her arm and firmly pinched her ass so no one in the car could see. She lost her breath as pain and pleasure shot through her body. 

He reached for the door and held it open for her. They gazed coldly at each other as she stepped inside.

“Well, I think that went well,” said Edward, “no thanks to you, Alexis. I can’t believe you were actually trying to have Alcazar bring down the offer as though it was in our best interest.”

Alexis looked out the window as Edward rattled on. There was no point in fighting him. It wouldn’t change anything aside from getting her blood pressure up.

Ned wasn’t home when they arrived. She didn’t expect he would be. She went straight to their room and undressed. When she held her dress in her hands, she smiled. It wasn’t a waste getting all dressed up, after all. Ned may not be thinking about her. But Alcazar sure as hell was.


	3. Dalliance

Dalliance

_______________________________

 

The best part of living in the Quartermaine mansion was access to the grounds. It felt like something from a Jane Austen novel. The spring flowers had yet to arrive, but winter held its own magic in the gardens. Alexis walked the paths down by the lake and far away from the prying eyes of her in-laws.

Funny how much the house and grounds reminded her of Wyndemere. Of Cassadine Island. 

Except there was no Stefan there to take care of her. There was no Nikolas to love her.

She was alone. 

Her thoughts wandered to Ned, and the kind of man he used to be. The partner he used to be. The Q mansion wasn’t so difficult to live in back then.

She pushed the thought aside. Ned wasn’t the same man any longer. And she wasn’t the same woman. 

There was no way the woman who married Ned Ashton would ever allow a man like Lorenzo Alcazar to put his hands on her...twice.

She turned down another path lined with frosty hedges and alcoves that in the spring would be full of beautiful flowers. Alexis actually preferred the garden in the cold. There was something about the dormant nature of the beauty of the place. Not to mention the solitude of the grounds. Not even the groundskeeper spent much time in the gardens in the winter. 

“Hello, Mrs. Ashton,” said a deep, amused voice from an alcove next to her. 

Before she turned to look at the man, she asked, “Are you stalking me, Mr. Alcazar?”

“Perhaps. But you’re a Cassadine, I’m sure you thrive on the attention.”

She forced herself not to smile before she turned to look at him. The alcove had a wooden bench beneath a vine-covered arbor. She knew those vines would bloom purple in the spring. He sat in the middle of the bench, leaving no place for her to join him unless with uncomfortable intimacy.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“I have a meeting with Edward. I came early to arrange a time to meet with you at the waterfront property. Alice said you’d be out here.”

Lorenzo was wearing a dark, gray suit with a pin-striped collared shirt underneath. Over that was a full-length peacoat to protect him from the cold. His blue-eyes sparkled like the frost covering the vines on the arbor. 

She felt terribly underdressed in her jeans, t-shirt, and long coat. 

“Just tell me when you want me there. I’ll make it work.”

“You’re being very accommodating...Why is that?”

Alexis turned away from him, looking at another alcove that would display a pretty, little fountain in a couple of months. “I told you I would be. It’s what’s expected of me.”

“You always do what you’re told?”

She thought of where Alcazar’s fingers were last night, and was glad she was looking in the other direction when she blushed. “Clearly not.”

He chuckled, “A quiet rebellion, huh?”

“Judge me however you like. You know nothing about me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say I know nothing about you. I know a few things.” His hand gripped her arm from behind and pulled her back into him. She hadn’t even heard him stand up, and now her back was pinned against his firm body. “Wouldn’t you say?”

Alexis didn’t respond. She just stood there feeling him against her, both his hands reaching in her coat, one pressing against her lower abdomen, and the other at her ribs, just under her breast.

“I’m learning just how sensitive that clitoris of yours can be.” He dropped his lips to her neck and grazed over the gentle skin. “I know your taste and your scent.” She quivered and goosebumps ran down her arms. His lips moved to her ear. “And I know you’ve completely lost your voice since you pushed my brother off that balcony.”

She didn’t respond. She wanted to fight him, but there was no use. He was right. But it still pissed her off.

“Tell me, Alexis. What do you want to happen now? What do you want me to do next?”

What the hell was he playing at? She stayed silent.

“Do you want me to touch you like I did last night? Or do you want something more?” She felt his hand on her ribs grazing her breast. His thumb moved back and forth over the bottom of her swell.

God, she wanted more. And she wanted to push him away. She just didn’t know which want was stronger.

“Or,” he said, “do you want me to keep choosing for you? As though that might relieve you of taking responsibility for your actions.”

“Shut up,” she said.

He chuckled a surprisingly delightful sound and said, “No,” to her request. He pulled her back with him on the bench and sat her across his lap. She gave a feeble fight to get out of his grasp, but his left arm clamped around her back and wouldn’t let her up. Alexis stopped fighting, she didn’t want him to stop.

She looked in his eyes enjoying the playfulness she saw there. She realized this was the first time she didn’t see Luis first when she looked at him. She wrapped an arm around his neck to steady herself.

He peeled open her coat. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt underneath.

“This is cute,” he smirked.

“I didn’t know I’d be checked out going on my walk this morning.”

His hand dipped under her shirt. His cold hands on her warm stomach made her lose her breath. “Lo…” she said sucking in air and losing his name on her lips.

He smiled down on her, and laughter resonated from his chest. It was a real smile. A genuine smile. She’d never seen that on him before. She couldn’t help the one that stole over her own face for a moment.

“What’s that?” he said, pulling his hand out from under her shirt to touch her cheek. 

“What’s what?” she grumbled. She shed her smile and replaced it with an irritated scowl.

“You have a dimple.” His hand traced over the cheek where the dimple once appeared.

“I know.”

“I didn’t.” He shrugged and moved his hand back down under her shirt.

“You didn’t have to come hunt me down, you know. You could’ve called me to set up the meeting.”

“This is more fun.” He moved his hand up over her bra. She wasn’t wearing anything sexy. Just a regular nude bra that hid well under a t-shirt. She was too self-conscious to pay much attention to how his hands felt on her at the moment. “You look so different than last night.”

“I should hope so. This took me ten minutes to put together, rather than last night’s two hours.”

“Two hours?” He cupped her right breast in his hand. She was disappointed he hadn’t tried to get under her bra yet. She noticed herself breathing deep and arching her back to encourage him to explore. 

“Well, it was worth it,” he concluded. His eyes were glazed over as if remembering the night before. 

“You just liked the short hem of the dress.” And the access it gave his fingers. 

“I did. I liked the rest of it, too. I loved how it showed off these.” He gave her boobs a squeeze. “I loved the color. The high heels.” He looked up at her face. “The hair. The makeup.”

“You didn’t notice my makeup,” she scoffed.

He growled. “If you think I didn’t see that glossy lipstick without picturing your lips around my cock, you’re more insane than the courts said you are.”

Alexis froze. She didn’t know if she should be offended or not. What was wrong with her that she took that as a compliment?

Lorenzo went back to groping her boobs. He adjusted her over his lap, and she could feel his cock against her ass. She sucked in a breath.

“But catching you off guard like this. It’s a fucking turn on.”

“Looking a mess is a turn on?”

“I’m a criminal, Alexis. I like messy.”

She was grinding her ass against his cock, and by the way he moved his hips, he seemed to like it. “You got me off twice now. I’m sure you’re ready for me to reciprocate. Blue balls can’t be a whole lot of fun.”

“That goes without saying. But I’m going to ask you again...what do you want, Alexis?”

She wanted his hands under her bra and on her skin. She wanted him lifting her shirt to put his mouth on her nipples. She tried to tell him, but the thought of saying the words out loud made her flush.

“Nothing, huh?” he intentionally concluded wrong. “You want nothing?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“What I want is for you to take what you need from me.”

Lorenzo stopped moving his hand with a look of irritated disappointment on his face. She didn’t know why that bothered her. He sat her up straight and buttoned her coat.

“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. “Playing games? I didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, so now you’re withholding from me?”

“I’m not an adolescent, Alexis. I don’t play games with sex.”

“Then what just happened?”

“You told me to take what I need from you. What I need is to fuck you over the table at the main office of the northernmost ELQ waterfront building I’m purchasing. Meet me there at ten a.m. tomorrow. I want you naked and bent over the table waiting for me when I arrive.”

Alexis shook her head trying to process what he just said. “Excuse me? Are you insane? You want me waiting naked for you?”

“Ten a.m.,” he reiterated. He stood both her and himself up. “Naked, bent over, and ready to fuck.”

She wasn’t sure she was going to agree to his madness, but found herself asking, “Why not now?”

“Because you told me to take what I want from you; this is what I want.”

“Come on…” she looked down at his hard cock. “You don’t want me now?” she asked. 

“Ha,” he chuckled. She knew he did. 

“Or,” she concluded, “you don’t want my first impression of you to be in the cold, frosty air?” She tried unsuccessfully to stifle her grin.

He stepped back up to her and touched her cheek with his finger. “That dimple really is something.” He looked to her lips as though deciding whether or not to kiss her. The moment passed and he looked in her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Ashton.”

_______________________________________

 

She was planning to have sex with a man that wasn’t her husband. She changed her mind about following through at least fourteen times. Then, she changed it right back. 

It was crazy! She couldn’t trust Lorenzo Alcazar to allow her to keep breathing, much less trust him with her body. And she certainly shouldn’t trust him with a secret that would destroy her marriage.

But maybe she didn’t care if her marriage imploded. And maybe she didn’t care if Lorenzo hurt her, or worse. Maybe that was better than wasting away in a big house surrounded by a bunch of people who seemed to hate her. 

It’s not as though she liked who she was to begin with, why not throw adulteress into the mix?

And, maybe, sex with Lorenzo wouldn’t turn out so bad. She knew the sex wouldn’t be miserable. He was too good with his hands and his mouth for it to be bad. He was too attentive to the right parts of her body. And the size of the erection that pressed into her everytime they were near told her that alone would make this dalliance worthwhile. 

Back and forth her mind would race. It raced from the moment Lorenzo left the gardens, to when she ran into him at the house during his meeting with Edward, to when she drove into town to go shopping for their rendezvous the next morning.

She didn’t know what she should buy. He wanted her naked and waiting for him, so clothes didn’t seem all that important. Maybe a cut and color, a mani-pedi, and a wax? She wondered if Ned would even notice.

After the salon, she decided “naked” probably included heels. Which meant red, peep toe, dangerously high heels, with a sexy little strap around the ankle. The black sheath dress she bought to wear after they were done when they were supervising the inspection could possibly pass as professional. 

Her mind continued racing when she got home with her new purchases and readied them to wear the next day. 

There were so many signs she left for Ned to catch on...to question her. He couldn’t possibly be that oblivious, could he? Maybe she wanted Ned to find out, to stop her. To remember she was a woman. A partner. To remember what they used to mean to each other

Not for the first time did she question if Ned was having his own affair, but she was certain he wasn’t. There were things Ned always did when going on a date. He always wore cologne, he kept his hair tidy, he shined his shoes, he wore a suit. No, he wasn’t trying to make himself desirable for anyone, much less Alexis.

When Alexis got dressed in the morning, and looked sexy as hell coming out of their ensuite bathroom, he stopped in this tracks as their paths crossed. He dropped the remote control for the television, sending the batteries flying around the room. 

“Wow,” he said. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Is that a compliment?” she asked. 

“You look nice. What’s the occasion?”

Why was a compliment so hard to pull from him? It was easy for Lorenzo to tell her how hot she looked. How he loved her dress, hair, and makeup. Yet, her husband couldn’t do the same?

“The occasion is I’m going in to oversee escrow inspections on the sale of the waterfront property.”

“Good,” said Ned. “That property has been draining money for years.”

Alexis walked past him disgusted and angry. She picked up her purse and walked to the door.

“Alexis,” he called after her. 

“What, Ned?” she said before turning to the corner. 

He eyed her up and down. “You look great. Work looks good on you.”

She shrugged. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have taken it away from me.”

Ned nodded and looked down, as though he might be considering the truth in her words. But he said nothing to acknowledge them. “Goodbye, Ned.”

_____________________________________________

Alexis entered the empty building and excused the security guard. She let him know Alcazar would be coming with inspectors, and told him to patrol the perimeter for the next few hours. The office was cold when she arrived, so she turned up the heater. Lorenzo would be there in a few minutes.

She left her jacket and purse on the desk and started pacing, her body showing the restlessness of her mind.

Should she really be waiting naked for him? What if he brought people with him? What if he was setting her up? 

She moved back and forth. What should she do?

Lorenzo had probably been thinking about walking in on her naked for the past twenty-four hours. She wondered at his disappointment in her cowardice if she chickened out. 

Alexis steeled herself. She was tired of suppression. And the thought of Lorenzo thinking she was afraid grated on her nerves. 

And what was the worst that could happen? There was literally no consequence she could think of that would stop her from doing this.

Alexis peeled of her dress and placed it over the back of a chair. Either the office was warming up, or she was getting heated. She reached back for the snap of her new bra that was meant to seduce him after the fact because he wouldn’t see it until after they finished what they had planned. She pulled off her bra and set it on the chair. Last, her panties. 

Alexis stared at her little pile of clothes and ran her hands over her naked body. She wondered at how such a small amount of fabric could make her feel so secure. Then, she realized, she wanted to be vulnerable to Alcazar. She was tired of the false security of the Quartermaines. At least Lorenzo was upfront about where they stood.

The clock said it was one minute to ten o’clock.

He wanted her bent over the table, and he’d get her bent over the table. Alexis folded herself over the cold, heavy wood surface. Her heels were so high, she was bent over at an angle she knew any man would appreciate.

She wondered what he’d do to her. Just come in and bang her brains out? Would he make sure she’d orgasm? Or was this just reciprocity for making her come twice? Two mind-blowing, glorious orgasms for the price of one. 

She thought of his long fingers inside her at the restaurant. His mouth on her in the closet. She didn’t think it his nature to leave a woman wanting. 

She eyed the clock. Ten a.m. She listened and listened for footsteps in the hall. She didn’t know if she’d even hear him coming. Of course, after she opened her ears, she heard a million different sounds, and each one a possible threat to her exposure.

Good God, what if their meeting was crashed by a Quartermaine? What would Tracy do if she saw her daughter-in-law getting banged by a mobster on the family property?

Alexis actually smiled at the thought. Tracy would be scandalized. Murderous. Mortified.

Two minutes after ten. Where the hell was he? If he stood her up, she’d be furious! Probably more furious than if he sabotaged her any other way. Setting up her expectations, then letting her down. Another Ned!

Right when she was about to stand up, she heard a hand on the door and froze. Please be Alcazar. Please be Alcazar.

What if it wasn’t him? How would she explain?

The door creaked open. By the sound of the door closing, and a quiet turn of the lock, she knew it had to be him. Any sane human on the planet who walked in on her would’ve screamed with terror by now. 

She smelled him before she saw him. How was she already so familiar with his scent? So masculine. So...stimulating.

Large, warm hands landed on her cool hips. Soft at first, they ran up and down her waist. She couldn’t help but stretch and arch like a kitten.

A low, satisfied rumble filled her ears. “Dios mío,” whispered a deep, breathless voice. He bent over her, with his hands flat on the table. He brought his face down to her ear, and she could see him out of the corner of her eye. “You are a much braver woman than I gave your credit for, Alexis. And, my God, you’re gorgeous. I knew you would be, but I didn’t expect this...”

She sucked in a breath. She knew he meant what he said. His authenticity was there in the guttural sound of his voice. Why did it mean so much to her?

Lorenzo nuzzled into her neck, inhaling deep. His hands traced down her arms until they found her hands. He entwined their fingers and spread her arms wide to an even more vulnerable position. 

He kissed down her spine, licking her sensitive skin, so long neglected. Jolts of excitement coursed through her when his teeth grazed her skin, nipping between kisses. 

He stood up and took a step back. She knew he was taking in the sight. “Alexis Ashton, you are a vision.”

She heard a ruffle of fabric and his jacket dropped on the table next to her. 

His hands were back on her hips as he bent down on his knees behind her. “You’re dripping wet for me,” he said. 

She stayed quiet. She didn’t have anything to say. 

“Santo Padre y hermano, perdona mis pecados,” he whispered. He pulled back hard on her hips and pressed his mouth against her pussy. 

Alexis screamed out. He licked and sucked on her clit like she’d never felt in her life. Her back arched further and her legs spread wider to push against his face. He took every bit of what she had to give. He fucked her with his mouth, tonguing her deep. She was starting to shake uncontrollably, more and more, everytime his tongue plunged in. 

When she couldn’t take anymore she yelled his name, “Lorenzo!,” in desperation. He pulled out to her temporary relief, but dropped his mouth to devour her clit once again. Back and forth, over and over, he moved. His big hands gripped her hips so tight, she was certain she’d bruise. 

His mouth was so damn good! Orgasm came faster than it ever had in her life. But he didn’t stop. He kept going, licking her up and down as she whimpered and shook. His mouth focused on her clit and his fingers found her pussy. One orgasm rolled into another as her pussy squeezed his fingers. She felt evidence of her orgasms dripping down her leg. 

Finally, he stood. She heard him unbuckle his belt and pull down his zipper. She heard the tearing of plastic, and was relieved he thought of protection. A moment later, his hands were massaging her ass, running over her curves. She felt a large, hard mass running through her folds and up to her clit.

“Oh, God.” He was so damn big!

“Is this tight, little cunt ready for me, Alexis?” She breathed deep, steeling herself. He must’ve noticed the nerves in her body because he chuckled arrogantly. 

Alexis felt a hard smack on the right side of her ass. “Shit!” she said. A sting of pain made her sex squeeze in delight. Why did it feel so damn good? Another smack landed on the other side, surprising her, yet again. 

Both hands found her hips once more and gripped hard. He lined up his cock at her opening and slammed inside with a grunt. 

“Ouch!” she yelled. It hurt like hell, and yet, it felt so damn good. She’d never had anything quite so big in there. 

Lorenzo moaned a deep, satisfied sound. His right hand left her hip and she anticipated another smack on the ass, but instead he banged his fist on the table next to her. “¡Hijo de su puta madre!” He felt like a man barely hanging onto to control.

He moved in and out slowly, as if getting use to the feel of her sex. His hand made its way back to her hip and his grip tightened. This time, she knew what to expect. Lorenzo pulled out fast and slammed back into her. Alexis lost her breath. Hard and fast he moved like nothing she’d ever felt before. He wasn’t gentle, and she didn’t want him to be. 

For the first time in her life, she was being fucked, pure and simple. And she loved it! Once again, her body surprised her by how responsive she was to this man. She felt GOOD, and FULL. Sex always felt like it was never quite enough, and she always wanted just a little more. But Lorenzo and his rough hands and his big dick made her feel like he was more than she could handle.

His breath was getting shallow, and his relentless pace somehow quickened. She knew he would come soon, and to her shock, she knew she would, too. How could she come so many times so fast? And she’d NEVER had an orgasm without some sort of clitoral stimulation. But her sex started squeezing him again as he grunted and hammered away at her pussy. 

“Jesus! Fuck!” he cursed. His rhythm faltered as he lost it in her. Her own orgasm started again somewhere, and she wasn’t quite certain if it ever stopped from the last one. Lorenzo’s right arm moved under her belly and pulled their bodies closer as he thrust the last few bangs of his hips.

He stayed frozen over her as he caught his breath. She was glad he didn’t just yank himself out because her sex was still contracting, and a part of her felt like she needed his dick in her while she was still reeling.

“Wow,” he groaned, his face was buried in her hair.

“Wow,” she agreed.

Finally, he stood up, bringing her with him. His cock slid out, and she was left feeling empty. She worried her sex would feel as though it suffered a trainwreck in the morning.

Lorenzo walked around the table to a garbage can in the corner. He pulled off the condom and tied it up. He was about to throw it away when Alexis got a horrifying vision in her head of Tracy or Edward finding it in the trash. 

“No!” she said. “Give it here.”

She strode to him and snatched it out of his hands. She grabbed some tissues off the desk and wrapped it up before putting it in her purse.

He looked amused at her antics. “Is that like a ‘to go’ bag? You really don’t have to do that,” he pointed to his softening cock, “this is more like an all you can eat buffet.”

Her mouth dropped in shock, “You are vulgar.”

“I’m a mobster,” he laughed. “And call me vulgar all you like, but I’m not the one taking used condoms home.”

“I just don’t want anyone to find it here.”

He laughed as he tucked himself in his pants. 

Alexis didn’t really know the protocol in this situation. Clearly there would be no cuddling. No kissing. Not that she wanted any of that from him. He was still the man who looked like his brother. He still hated her...right?

All the sudden she felt very naked. She grabbed her bra and panties from the chair and started putting them on. To her surprise, Lorenzo pulled out a handkerchief and knelt down in front of her. He tapped her legs to open up, and he wiped her down. His hands were quite gentle.

It was unsettling.

When he stood, their eyes met in a moment of unguarded intimacy from what they’d just done. 

Alexis turned away quickly to finish getting dressed. She put on her underwear far less sensually than she imagined when she went shopping the day before. She stepped into her dress and pulled it up over her shoulders. 

Full of surprises, Lorenzo was there to zip her up. His hands moved slow, as though trying to calm her.

She didn’t know how to take his kindness. 

“What’s going on here?” she asked.

Lorenzo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. Do we have to define it?”

“You’re being...nice to me. It’s strange. I just need to know what the hell is going on and what to expect.”

Lorenzo laughed uncomfortably. “God, Alexis, after what we just did, do you expect me to threaten you? Yell at you?”

“I’d, at least, like to know where I stand with you.”

“Sorry, Ms. Ashton, but I’m having a hard him figuring that out myself. I just ate the pussy of the woman who threw my twin brother off a balcony. I’ve got a lot of shit going on in my head.”

Alexis nodded. She didn’t think he’d forgiven her. 

“But all I can seem to think about is figuring out a way to do it again,” he said.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re doing this to make me hate myself when you talk like that. Nor to ruin my marriage.”

He shrugged, “Those motivations are dropping on my list of priorities. Really, I just want to fuck you again.”

She bit her lip. She was pretty sure she wanted that, too. “So what do we do? Set up times to fuck?”

He laughed, “You’re neurotic, as hell, aren’t you? You can’t just go with whatever this is, whenever we feel like it?”

“I like to know what I’m doing, and when doing it.”

“And who you’re doing, and when you’re doing him?”

She shrugged. “I’ve got a lot to consider taking up with you.”

“So, at the very least, we’re in agreement we need to keep fucking?” he asked.

She nodded. She couldn’t imagine not doing that again.

Lorenzo took out his phone and handed it to Alexis. “Give me your number. We’ll figure it out.” 

Alexis complied, but didn’t like the idea of him being in control. “When are you planning to call me?”

A smile crept up on his face. 

“Oh, stop,” she said, “I’m not that bad. I just need to make sure I don’t have a bunch of Quartermaines around me.”

“This is going to be fun.”

She pointed at him. “Don’t make this hard on me, or it’s over before we’ve started.”

He put a hand on her cheek and his thumb caress the spot where her dimple often appeared. “Like I said, this is going to be fun. For both of us.”

She did her best not lean into his touch. His eyes dropped to her lips. She could see he wanted to kiss her. As he lowered his head, her heart raced in her chest.

Lorenzo’s phone rang in her hands making her jump. She looked down at the screen. She knew that number. “Why’s Ned calling you?” she asked.

Lorenzo’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He took the phone from Alexis and answered, “Alcazar.”

Alexis got close to try to listen in, but Lorenzo was too damn tall. She could hear Ned was angry. Could he have possibly found out?

“Calm down,” said Lorenzo to Ned. “Alexis is fine. We’re in the North building. We’ll meet you out front.”

Ned was still yelling when Lorenzo hung up the phone. 

“Does he know?” she said. She didn’t realize how terrified she was of Ned finding out, until he may have actually found out.

Lorenzo smiled, “Of course not. He was just informed by his mother that you were tasked with dealing with me during this transaction. He thinks I’m going to hurt you or something.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Since when did he start caring about that again?”

“I remember when I first came to town, he was quite protective over you. What changed?”

Alexis shrugged. “He became just like his mother and grandfather.”

“And you? What changed in you?”

“A woman just gets worn down, that’s all.”

“By her husband? That doesn’t sound right.”

“By Ned, his family, my family…”

Lorenzo nodded, “Ahh, the Cassadines. I can see how they’d wear you down.”

“No, they didn’t wear me down by things they’ve done.” she felt the need to clarify, “I’ve lost most of my family. My brother, my mother, my sister…All I have left is a nephew I hardly see, a husband who’s uninterested in me, a neglectful ex-husband, and a friend who pays me.”

“You’re lonely.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m alone, yes.”

His hand went back to her cheek. She pulled away. She didn’t want his pity. 

“I’m a big girl, Lorenzo. I’ll be fine.” Alexis picked up her purse and coat, and she headed for the door.

Lorenzo followed her out. She hoped he had the good sense not to press the issue. He didn’t; they hardly took two steps before he carried on.

“Princess Alexis Cassadine Ashton. All alone in her tower. Waiting for her dark knight to come defile her.”

She laughed. “It was Princess Natasha Alexandra Mikkosovna Cassadine, actually.”

“Princess Natasha? Where did ‘Alexis’ come from?”

“My father pretended I was a cousin to keep his bastard daughter alive from his murderous wife. Alexis Davidovitch he called me.”

“And Alexis Davidovitch married Ned Ashton?”

She laughed again. “No, Alexis Davis married Ned Ashton. I reinvented myself.”

“And you’re reinventing yourself again?”

“Why would you say that?”

His hand moved to her ass and pinched. “Seductress of criminals?”

“Just one criminal, actually. And I think he did the seducing.”

He laughed. “Then, what shall we call you now? Princess Lex?”

She elbowed him in the gut. “I’m not a stripper.”

He was rubbing his injured stomach as he laughed, “It’s a noble profession. I meant it with the greatest respect.”

She chuckled, “Sorry, I guess Princess Lex is turning out to be a snob.”

They reached the front door of the building. Alexis hesitated before stepping out, but felt silly for thinking they needed some sort of goodbye, so stepped forward again. Lorenzo grabbed her by the arm to stop her. “I’ll call you soon,” he said.

She nodded. Anxiety plagued her that she didn’t know when that would be. 

She stepped out of the building and saw Ned’s car pulling up way too fast. He slammed on his brakes and jumped out of the car. He ran to Alexis and grabbed her by the arms. “Are you ok?” he asked. His eyes were filled with worry. 

“I’m fine, Ned.”

Ned yanked Alexis behind him in a display of possessiveness she didn’t know he had in him any longer. “What the hell are you playing at?” he demanded from Lorenzo.

“Ned!” said Alexis.

Lorenzo cut her off with an icy glare. There he was, the old Lorenzo. The one who first laid eyes on her years before. Venom and hostility spitting from a stone expression. Except this time, Alexis wasn’t the target.

“My people are inspecting the buildings, as per our purchase agreement,” said Lorenzo simply. 

Alexis hadn’t realized Lorenzo already started the inspections.

“Why does my wife need to be the one overseeing these inspections?!”

“Because your grandfather volunteered her.”

“I swear to God, if you’ve hurt one hair on her head…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lorenzo spat. “If I wanted to hurt your wife, it wouldn’t be in broad daylight in a preplanned meeting with potential witnesses. She’s obviously just fine.”

“You threaten and intimidate her any chance you get.”

“My brother’s murderer can handle a few choice words.”

Alexis rolled her eyes at Lorenzo and pulled Ned by arm. “Come on, Ned. Everything’s fine. Mr. Alcazar was perfectly cordial. Let’s go home.”

He shook off her grip on his arm, “Go get in the car. We’re not done.”

“Excuse me?” she said.

“You heard me!”

Alexis stared in shock at Ned’s tone with her. She didn’t move.

“That’s how to talk to your wife?” said Lorenzo. 

“How I talk to my wife is none of your business. And neither are these buildings. The deal is off!”

“You’re a fool,” said Lorenzo. “Your grandfather is CEO and won’t back down on this deal for the price I’m offering. Now take the trophy wife you love to belittle and get off my property, before I find another way of handling you.”

Ned hauled back and swung a right hook at Lorenzo. Lorenzo tried dodging him, but Ned’s fist still grazed his cheek.

“Ned!” yelled Alexis, pulling him back. 

Lorenzo recovered quickly with rage in his eyes. Alexis saw his hands forming into tight fists. 

“No!” she yelled, stepping toward Lorenzo. She grabbed his jacket and looked at him with pleading eyes, “Don’t hurt him.”

He looked down at her with more ferocity than she’d ever seen from him. 

“Please,” she begged.

Ned was pulling her back to his car. Lorenzo stood watching them walk away, his hands still in fists with what must’ve been superhuman strength of inhibition. When they got to the passenger door, Alexis pushed away from Ned. “I drove my own car.”

“Just get in, Alexis. I’ll pick your car up later.”

“Go to hell!” she yelled. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Ned after what he just did. After what SHE just did. 

She stormed away to her own car. As she got in and drove off, she saw Lorenzo’s eyes never left her. Anger still raged in his expression. 

Ned pulled out into the street behind her and followed her home.


	4. The Other Man

The Other Man

_______________________________

 

Alexis was laying in bed with the lights off and her eyes closed. She’d been avoiding Ned since they got home, and had every intention of avoiding him for the rest of the night. She didn’t want to be near the man who talked to her like an errant child. And she didn’t want to be near her husband when her sex was still sore from another man.

The weight of the bed shifted next to her, alerting her that Ned was there. A few years ago, she would’ve cuddled into him. She may have even climbed on top of him. Over the last year, she never initiated sex or intimacy. She pretended to be too tired or pretended to have a headache rather than have sex with him. Sometimes she just got herself so worked up, she’d give herself a headache and be relieved she was actually being truthful.

Sex had become more work than it was worth. She’d get minimal payoff for doing the same things over and over, and she’d be lucky if she had an orgasm. And, as though it wasn’t hard enough to gear herself up for some sort of sexual activity, the bastard would do everything he could to hold off his orgasm, dragging out what should’ve been even the simplest of blowjobs. If he’d get it done and over with quicker, she might be more willing to up the frequency.

Things had been so bad for so long, she had no idea she was capable of the kind of sex she had with Lorenzo that morning.

She felt a soft kiss on her shoulder. She did all she could not to cringe away, to keep her breath even, and pretend she wasn’t conscious. 

“I know you’re awake, sweetheart,” said Ned quietly. “You’re not snoring.”

Alexis stayed quiet. There was no way she ever snored. 

“It’s ok if you’re ignoring me. I know you’re angry. I wanted to let you know I’m not sorry for worrying about you being forced to spend time with Alcazar. He’s a dangerous criminal who has it out for you…”

Alexis rolled her eyes underneath their lids.

“But I am sorry for interfering with your work. I know you can handle yourself. Hell, I know you could run ELQ in your sleep. You’re ten times smarter than everyone in this house. I just…” he sighed, “I just wanted to tell you that i see how much you’ve sacrificed for this family. And...I know haven’t had to give up anything for you. It’s not fair.”

Ned’s hand traced down her arm. 

“I’ve been on your case about Sonny, trying to get you to give up the last bit of independence you have left. And, again, I don’t apologize for wanting you away from a dangerous mobster, but I am sorry I’m alienating you from your work. I know you hate the business world, and you’d much rather be an advocate. I’m sorry grandfather and mother send you on ridiculous errands, like babysitting the twin of Kristina’s killer.”

Alexis didn’t know why tears were falling down her cheeks. 

“You’re a brilliant woman. A beautiful woman. A loyal wife. I’m sorry I’ve been taking you for granted. I promise that’s going to change.”

His words, likely meant to placate her, or even reassure her, had the opposite effect. They made her angry! It was too little, too late. And quite frankly, she’d heard promises like this before from her husband when he was sucking the life out of her, squashing her identity. 

His words meant nothing. All they did was show he knew the whole time what an asshole he’d been.

And those words... they made her feel like such shit for being a cheat. Instead of being reassured, she heard them as though dripping with irony and sarcasm. 

Oh, she changed for him, alright. More than he could possibly know. 

And it made her sick to her stomach. 

Maybe she should leave Ned. But it wasn’t like she made enough money on her own to support herself. She’d hate to dip into her savings. Maybe Nikolas might help her. Stefan was probably saying, ‘I told you so’ from his grave.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said. He kissed her shoulder once more.

She lay there waiting for him to fall asleep. Part of her tried to avoid reliving memories of her morning with Lorenzo while laying next to her husband. And the other part, the one acutely aware of the soreness in her body, couldn’t stop replaying the best sex of her life with the man who was supposed to hate her.

__________________________________

 

As Alexis expected, Ned’s words changed nothing. Their lives went on as they had, as though he never spoke them to begin with. She wondered if he was drinking that night, or if it was a temporary attack of conscience and he hoped she just didn’t hear. 

What Alexis was more upset about was more than a week had gone by and she’d yet to hear from Lorenzo. When he said he’d call her soon, they must’ve have different ideas about what ‘soon’ meant. Earth shattering sex didn’t happen to her everyday, and disappointed didn’t seem a strong enough word to to cover her feelings about Lorenzo lack of eagerness to make it happen again.

Maybe sex was like that for him all the time. It probably was. Hell, he probably had sex like that several times since. 

Alexis felt her mood dropping with every day that passed. 

Rather than slipping into a depression, she decided she didn’t want to be a pathetic convenient piece of ass. So tried to forget about all five of the mind-blowing orgasms he’d bestowed on her with the various beautiful parts of his body. She decided to forget about him entirely.

When he called - if he ever called - she’d tell him to take a hike. Ned had already made her pathetic. She wasn’t going to allow Lorenzo to do the same.

She had a meeting with a potential donor for the Quartermaine Charity Foundation at the Metro Court, and she planned on throwing herself as fully into some vestige of meaningful work she could still take part in. 

Alexis may not have been feeling great about herself in a lot of ways, but she had been feeling much better about the way she looked. Having a man like Lorenzo admire her appearance was a bully of a confidence boost. And she intended to ride the only high she had in her life at the moment. She took care of her appearance, wearing another sheath dress, this time cobalt blue. Maybe a few flutters of her eyelashes would get some extra pennies out of the donor. 

When Alexis got off the elevator to the top floor restaurant, her eyes landed immediately on a sight that made her sick to her stomach. Lorenzo sitting at a table with Carly Corinthos.

Her decision to move on suddenly felt glorious. If Lorenzo thought spending time with that classless, histrionic moll should be a higher priority than fucking Alexis, then he could have it. 

Lorenzo looked up and met her eyes. His expression hardly changed, save a twitch in his jaw. Alexis did her best impersonation of her stepmother and looked down her nose at the lowly peasants. She flicked her hair out of her face and scanned the room for her associate. 

Alexis found Clint Buchanan and walked to his table with as much arrogant indifference to Lorenzo as she could muster. 

“Mrs. Ashton, you look stunning.” She was greeted with a kiss on each cheek and an inappropriate glance up and down her body. 

“Mr. Buchanan, such a pleasure to see you out here in New York. I’m thrilled you’re interested in the work the Quartermaine family has been doing to improve literacy in inner-city schools.”

“I’m delighted to hear more about how our Pennsylvania schools will benefit from our family’s contribution…”

Clint Buchanan unfortunately pulled out a chair facing Lorenzo and his dining companion for Alexis to sit. Lorenzo was still staring at Alexis when she sat down. She did her best to ignore him, but it was difficult as his gaze grew more and more heated as time passed.

Alexis was glad she took notes to prepare for the discussion with Clint, because Lorenzo’s blue-eyed stare was impossibly distracting. She handed over a proposal to Clint to let him peruse. 

Alexis wasn’t the only one flustered by Lorenzo’s attentions. Carly pushed back from the table and swung her hand at Lorenzo’s face. He caught it before it connected.

Too bad, thought Alexis. She’d rather enjoy watching him suffer, if not from pain, then embarrassment.

Carly left the restaurant in a huff, and Lorenzo hardly acknowledged her departure. Instead, he spent the next half hour drinking whiskey and staring at Alexis. It became blatantly obvious to Alexis the reason Lorenzo was sticking around was to speak with her.

To her surprise, he stood up abruptly and left the restaurant. Maybe he didn’t want to after all.

At the end of her meeting, Alexis sent Clint Buchanan back down the elevator with her foundation’s pocket six figures fuller. She gleefully paid her tab, satisfied with her morning’s work, but no less confused about her one-time paramour’s strange behavior.

When she was awaiting the elevator for herself, her phone started ringing. She didn’t recognize the number, but she knew exactly who it was.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Meet me in room 1201 when you’re done with your meeting,” said Lorenzo in a curt tone.

“No.”

“No?”

“I said, ‘No.’ Do you understand what that means? Or do you have the emotional maturity of an entitled high school boy?”

“Why, may I ask, are you denying me?”

“Because it’s my prerogative.” 

“I want to talk.”

“I don’t care.” The elevator pinged opened. Alexis stepped inside and pushed the button to the ground floor.

“You’re angry with me?” he said.

“I’m indifferent.”

“That meeting with Carly wasn’t what you think.”

“I was indifferent to you long before I saw you brunching with that woman.”

“Indifferent, huh?”

“Do you need a dictionary?”

“Do you need me to take you over my knee?”

“No, what I need is for you to leave me alone.”

The elevator door opened to the bottom floor to reveal Lorenzo waiting with a cell phone to his ear. His expression was hot and angry, and shot straight to her core. Ok, so maybe she lied about being indifferent.

“No,” she told herself more than him. She tried to step past him, but he hooked her around the middle and pulled her back in the elevator, hitting the button to the twelfth floor along the way. 

“Don’t you listen?” she demanded, struggling in his arms, trying not to be overcome by his delicious masculine scent that seemed to be magnified by their time apart.

“Of course I do. You’re the one who wants to run out on me before I’ve had a chance to explain.”

Alexis pulled away from him and crossed her arms in front of her. “You don’t owe me any explanations. You’re free to fuck whoever you like.”

“I’m not having sex with Carly!”

“Like I said, it’s none of my business.”

“I’m…” He looked like he was struggling with what he wanted to tell her. “I’m working with her on a mutually beneficial project.”

“I DON’T CARE!” she said. “Now let me go!”

The elevator stopped at the twelfth floor. Lorenzo held the door open for a reluctant Alexis. “Please, Alexis. I let your goddamn husband get away with hitting me in the face for you. The least you could do is tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

“Or maybe that’s what this was all about,” he said with venom. “You used me to get your husband jealous, and tossed me aside when you got what you want.”

SLAP! Where Carly failed, Alexis succeeded. Lorenzo hardly moved from the slap, but his jaw dropped in shock. Her left hand was stinging with pain, and she caressed it with her right to try to get the endorphins flowing. 

“I’m NOT Carly Corinthos,” she said “Don’t you dare accuse me of behaving like her. I don’t play games with sex.” 

Lorenzo was rubbing his cheek. “Then what the hell is going on? All I want is an explanation.”

“Fine.” Alexis stepped through the elevator doors past Lorenzo. She’d give him an explanation and leave. She stopped at room 1201. Lorenzo took out his key card and opened the door, letting Alexis walk through first. She went straight through the living area of the large suite, dumping off her purse and coat on the sofa, and walked to the bar on the other side of the room. She grabbed a bottle of vodka and drank back as much as she could muster. 

She turned to face Lorenzo who was taking off his jacket. He tossed it over a sofa before starting to roll up his sleeves as though getting ready for a fight. Alexis took another drink. Lorenzo stepped up close to her and took the bottle from her hands. He poured the liquid down his own throat. 

Alexis couldn’t handle the proximity to him. She needed space. She pushed by him and walked to the balcony doors, sliding them open for fresh air. The cold breeze seemed to calm her nerves...until she felt Lorenzo come up behind her again.

“Stop!” she said before he touched her.

“Tell me what happened. Why are you acting like this?”

Alexis didn’t know how to explain without feeling silly. “I don’t think this is a healthy arrangement for me.”

He laughed mockingly, “Healthy? I didn’t realize we were fucking for our health. If you wanted healthy, you should’ve gone to marriage counseling.”

She turned around to face him, but he was too close. She stepped back on the balcony. “I wasn’t talking about healthy for my marriage. I was talking about healthy for ME.”

“Since when has a Cassadine given a shit about what’s healthy?”

“Maybe I want to do better for myself than my psychotic father.”

Lorenzo shook his head, “What’s this really about, Alexis? And quit making me ask the same damn question.”

“I don’t see why it matters so much to you. It’s not like you’ve had a second thought about me all week. Why start giving a shit now?”

Lorenzo had an ‘ah-ha’ look cross his face. “I see. So what this is really about, is you felt neglected and insecure because I didn’t call you before now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“You’re punishing me for waiting so long to call you!”

“I can’t just be making a good decision for myself, keeping away from a mobster who’s made no secret of wanting me dead?”

“Oh, I want a lot of things from you, Alexis, but your corpse isn’t one of them.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you call?! You said you’d call soon, then I don’t hear from you in over a week? I told you I need to know what’s happening in my life! I need to know where I stand with you! Then you string me along for a week and think I’m going to be ok with that?!”

“I wasn’t stringing you along!”

“Bullshit!”

“I’ve been busy, ok?”

“Yes, that’s perfectly ok. I can make myself busy, too. Elsewhere!”

“Come on, Alexis. Don’t be like this.”

“I’m neurotic, remember? Your words, not mine!”

Lorenzo rubbed his face in his hands, completely exasperated. 

“This is more trouble than it’s worth,” said Alexis. “I’m leaving.” She tried to step past him, but he cut her off, keeping her on the balcony. Her thoughts flashed back to Luis when he did the same. She had no knife this time...

“Stop!” he said, reluctantly. “You’re right, I should’ve called.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I was pissed off!”

Alexis shook her head, “Excuse me? What could you possibly have to be angry about? I waited naked for you in my family’s office. I risked exposure, my marriage, everything! I gave you exactly what you wanted! Everything has been on me here!”

“It wasn’t that…”

“Then what was it?”

“It was your goddamn husband!”

“Because he hit you? I can’t control him!”

Lorenzo stepped forward as he spoke making Alexis back up into the rail. “But you went home to him! The way he protected you! The way he called you HIS wife! What did you expect me to do? Should I have let him nut in your cunt, then I’d slop it up when I ate your pussy the next day?!”

SLAP! Alexis hit him again.

“Goddamnit, that fucking left hand!” He rubbed his face where her palm left an impression.

“Don’t forget where we stand here! I don’t get to tell you to not to fuck Carly or whoever the hell else you want, and you don’t get to say if I sleep with my husband! You’re the other man in this fucking fiasco of a situation! And for you to play games with me because you’re jealous of my husband is bullshit! We should just end this now.”

“No!” he said, grabbing her face in his hands. His hands were so big, she could feel his fingers nearly touching at the back of her head where they tangled in her hair. His body was pressed so hard against hers, she was leaning slightly back over the rail of the balcony. “I fucked up. I’m sorry. This isn’t easy for me. I shouldn’t want you, Alexis. I shouldn’t want the woman who killed my brother. I shouldn’t want another man’s wife. But there’s nothing in the world I want more.”

“You can’t treat me poorly because you’re angry or resentful. I get enough of that in the rest of my life, I won’t put up with it from you.”

His forehead dropped to hers. “I’ll do better, baby, I swear.”

Alexis shook her head. “I don’t get it. Why do you want me so bad? You can have a million other women. Why is this worth the hassle?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question since the first time I touched you. And before I saw you waiting for me at that office, looking like you did, I might’ve been stronger...smarter. But seeing you like that slayed me, princess.”

His crystal blues stared into her eyes with pain and a fiery need. Her heart was racing so fast, she didn’t know how it hadn’t burst. His eyes dropped to her lips, and his tongue darted out to lick his own. He seemed lost in an internal struggle. 

He exhaled deeply and let go of her face. His body stopped pressing against her, so she could stand upright. He rested his hands on either side of Alexis on the rail. She was still boxed in, as much as he tried to let go.

“Why don’t you ever kiss me?” she asked, searching his blue depths for answers.

His eyes glistened in the morning light. Some war raged on behind his gaze. He finally answered. “Because there’s no coming back from that.”

She could only guess at what he meant. Her thoughts were interrupted by his head dropping down and gently meeting her lips. Their lips were the only parts of their bodies touching, and somehow it was too much. Some uncontrollable chemical reaction was vibrating between them. Alexis had to have more, but she was paralysed with fear and pleasure and something more she didn’t understand. She wondered if Lorenzo knew. 

He pulled his lips back and sucked in a breath. He looked at her with a passionate adoration that took her completely off guard. His hands were still on the rails, and he bent his elbows to lower himself back down on her. This time his lips moved, slow and gentle, as though learning to kiss for the very first time. But there was no adolescent clumsiness in how he moved. There was a gentle reverence in his soft caress. 

His body pressed against her once more, but this time it was slow, organic, and far more terrifying. His hands ran up her arms and cupped her face once again, and he coaxed a needy whimper from her mouth. 

His tongue slid across the seam of her lips, asking permission. She opened them to let his tongue find hers. She was waiting for him, anticipating the gentle strokes. And when his mouth sealed over hers, and their tongues started making love, Alexis thought she understood why Lorenzo held back for so long.

That kiss made the floor pull out from under her feet. Her stomach dropped, like gravity disappearing, and then she was falling. But Lorenzo’s mouth was still on hers, and his hands were in her hair, so she must not have gone anywhere. Or maybe he was falling with her.

Harder and harder his body pressed against her. Deeper and deeper their tongues reached. Tighter and tighter his arms wrapped around. Alexis didn’t even realize her hands were on his back pulling him closer and her leg wrapping around him.

But she did notice Lorenzo’s hands drop to her bottom and lift her as though she weighed nothing. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. Their kiss never faltered and he carried her to bed. He pulled the zipper of her dress down before he lay her on the sheets. It was the first time his lips left hers. 

He pulled off her dress in one fluid motion, tossing it negligently aside. She watched him stand at the foot of the bed as he peeled off his own clothes. It was her first time seeing him naked. His skin a beautiful olive tone, but different than her own. He had a light, masculine scatter of hair on his chest, and a long, lean body. 

The most astonishing part of his appearance was the greedy admiration in his eyes as he assessed the woman who lay before him. 

One by one he removed her shoes before he crawled between her legs. He pulled off her panties and unsnapped her bra. Her legs parted and spread wide. An invitation. An obvious consent. 

He lay flat on top of her, cradling her head in his hands. His weight was too much and not enough all at the same time. Her arms and legs pulled him closer, despite the protest of her lungs. Her mouth sacrificed much needed air to seal itself against his lips.

His tongue dipped in her mouth as his hips moved forward. He swallowed her moans when he pulled his hips back and pushed in again. He moved slow and he filled her full. Back and forth he rocked. The sensations were overwhelming and all-encompassing. His pelvis pressed on her clit with every movement. All her blood was rushing to her sex readying itself for an explosion of pleasure.

He bent his knees, spreading her wide for better leverage. His hips picked up their pace as a deep, guttural groan emanated from his chest. “I need to you to come, baby. Come for me.”

And Alexis felt her head buzzing and her pussy quivering. She heard a loud scream escape her mouth. Lorenzo grunted hard and loud, his hips speeding as she fell apart. “Jesus,” he growled as he thudded his last few thrusts before she felt his cum shoot into her. 

Lorenzo’s mouth crushed down on hers, kissing her like she was the air he needed to breathe. She’d never been kissed that way before, and she never needed to kiss anyone like that in her life. Yet all the sudden there was nothing more necessary in the world. 

Eventually, his deep, needy kisses faded to languid, gentle caresses of his mouth and tongue. Now that he finally opened the floodgate, he seemed incapable of separating their lips. 

He rolled over onto his back and pulled her on top of him. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat and his lungs filling with air. His hand stroked her hair and caressed her back until she fell asleep in his arms.

________________________________________

 

Alexis woke up to a shiver of her body. Her back was freezing and her stomach warm. Lorenzo was asleep underneath her, and she lay naked on his chest. She looked for the source of the cold, and realized they left the balcony doors wide open, and gentle snowflakes tried to make their way in. The light of the day had faded behind the clouds making it difficult for her to gage the time. 

She got up to shut the doors and turn up the heater. When she looked back to Lorenzo, she smiled at his relaxed resting form. He didn’t look like a scary mobster when he was sleeping. It was strange to have him be the vulnerable one in their relationship, however fleeting the moment was. 

Her eyes flickered to the clock on the nightstand. It read five o’clock. 

“Oh my God.” She hurried around the room gathering her clothes and putting them on. What would Ned think that she disappeared all day with no word? She didn’t exactly have a curfew, but she didn’t want to give some lie about why she missed dinner. 

She didn’t want to wake such a peaceful Lorenzo, but she’d feel awful leaving without a word, especially after the hard time she’d given him for not calling. She sat on the edge of the bed and put a gentle hand on his cheek.

“Lorenzo?” she said quietly. “Lo?’

With his eyes closed, he turned his head caught part of her palm playfully between his teeth. After Alexis let off a giggle, he released her and opened his eyes. 

“Hi,” she said smiling.

His eyes took in her clothes. “You’re leaving?”

She nodded. “It’s getting late.”

He frowned and looked at the clock. 

“I just wanted to say goodbye.”

He grumbled and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her back into bed. He rolled on top of her and kissed her madly. She let him ravish her mouth. 

When he looked up, his eyes were glittering playfully. 

“I have to go,” she said.

“Ok,” he agreed with no conviction. His hands reached under her dress and pushed it up over her hips. He pulled her panties aside and shoved in his cock.

“Lorenzo!”

He shoved in again. Hard and fast he fucked, making it impossible to remember she needed to leave. His tongue was down her throat, and his hand was on her clit. He worked her inside and out, making her come hard and fast. Then, he put her legs over his shoulders and fucked her hard and deep. She could feel him hitting her cervix with every stroke, until he grunted her name in climax.

“Wow,” she said, catching her breath. “That was intense.”

She could hear his own faltering breath, his face buried in her hair at her neck. “Stay,” he whispered. His quiet words full of need. “Have dinner with me.”

Alexis looked at the clock. “I need to get home.”

“To Ned?” His voice was sharp.

“Don’t do that,” she pleaded.

He nodded and rolled off her. He sat up at the edge of the bed not looking at her. 

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” He stood and looked around for his underwear. He put them on in silence, and when he turned to look at her, his face was set in stone. “I know my place.”

“Lorenzo…”

“No more ‘Lo?’” he asked with a wistful curve of his mouth. 

Alexis walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. “Will you call me?”

He nodded solemnly. 

“Soon?” she asked.

He nodded again.

“Does that mean next week?”

He wrapped his arms around her. “No...It means I’m going to do everything I can not to call you tonight. You’ll be lucky if I wait til morning.” He bent and kissed her on the crown of her head.

She reached up on her toes and kissed his lips, once, twice, three times. “Goodbye, Lo.” She smiled.

“Goodbye, princess.”

She kissed him once more before turning away. She grabbed her coat and purse and walked to the door. Before she left, she looked back and said, “You know, you’re the only man I’ve been with in months. Ned and I haven’t...We haven’t had sex in a long time.”

Lorenzo nodded silently. 

Alexis walked away letting the door close behind her. She rested her back against it, feeling reluctant to leave, but knowing she shouldn’t stay.

Loud crashing sounds muffled by the door startled her. It sounded like glass or ceramic breaking. “Fuck!” she heard Lorenzo’s voice. Alexis put her hand on the door, contemplating if she should go back in and see if he was ok.

She felt her phone ringing in her purse. Ned was probably worrying…

Alexis turned away and walked to the elevator.


	5. Initiative

Initiative

_______________________________

 

“You should really get an office,” said Sonny. “It’s bizarre coming to see my lawyer at the residence of the man fighting against me for custody of my son.”

Alexis and Sonny stood talking in the foyer of the Q mansion. Alexis smiled, “The fight is over. You have custody. So, unless something in your circumstances changes, AJ doesn’t have ground to stand on. Ergo, since you are my only client, an office would be a waste of money.”

Sonny shrugged. “Hiding out in this house is a waste of your talent. You’ve got to be getting bored, Alexis.”

She brushed off his observation. “Why did you want to see me?” She knew it wasn’t for the company. Only one person in the world seemed to have interest in that lately.

“I got word from an associate that Lorenzo Alcazar has been sniffing around you lately.”

Alexis hoped the fear that must’ve been blatant on her face at the mention of Lorenzo would be attributed to a alternative cause. 

“Is he bothering you?” asked Sonny.

Alexis cleared her throat, remembering Lorenzo’s mouth licking deep into hers. “No. Not bothering me. Edward asked me to oversee some ELQ business with him. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with my work with you.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Edward and Alcazar have more shared interests than just ELQ. Edward might be putting you in Alcazar’s path for another reason.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Not everything is about you, Sonny.”

“With Alcazar, it is. He can’t blame you for his brother’s death because you were protecting yourself, and...you know...you’re a woman. So he blames me for the war his brother started.”

It was an effort for Alexis to ignore Sonny’s perceived lack of responsibility for engaging in mob activity.

“Well, we haven’t talked about you, at all,” she said. 

“I don’t think you should be the one working with him. Someone else in the family should take over. What about your husband? Alcazar is dangerous, and he might try to use you to get to me.”

“Alcazar has had years to kill me, and he hasn’t tried. And he doesn’t seem to hate me as much as he used to. Don’t worry.”

“Of course, I’m going to worry.”

“Then you can find another attorney with whom you can be certain won’t compromise your interests.”

“Come on, Alexis. You’re the best, and I want the best.”

“Then stop talking about Alcazar.”

“Ok, fine.” He threw his hands up in the air. “I trust you won’t put me at risk. And I’ll have to trust you to know how to protect yourself.”

A knock sounded at the front door. Alexis wasn’t quite Quartermaine enough to call for the servants to answer the door when she was standing so close to it. She walked over and pulled it open to reveal a latin man in a black and white suit. 

“Hello,” said Alexis. “How can I help you?”

“That’s Alcazar’s man, Alexis,” interjected Sonny from within the room.

The suited man handed Alexis a large envelope. “The report from Mr. Alcazar’s inspections, ma’am.” He looked to Sonny and back to Alexis, then whispered to her, “For your eyes only, Mrs. Ashton.”

Alexis accepted the envelope and closed the door. Eager to see what Lorenzo said was, “for her eyes only,” she looked in the envelope. The inspector’s report was inside, but her eyes were drawn to a little plastic card sitting at the bottom. It looked like a Metro Court key card. Her heart skipped a beat. 

She reached in and picked it up to be sure. She didn’t have her glasses on, and she couldn’t pull it all the way out, or Sonny would see it. It was definitely a key card. There was a sticky note on it that she had to squint to read, “Reserved indefinitely.”

Sonny must’ve read her expression as some other emotion, because he said, “If the man makes you so disgusted, why do you put up with him?”

She was ready for Sonny to leave. “Was that all you wanted...?”

The front door opened again, this time of its own accord. Ned was just getting home, guitar case in hand. He smiled at seeing Alexis. “Hi.” He stepped close to kiss his wife. She turned so his lips touched her cheek.

“Hello, Ned,” said Sonny with a mocking tone from across the room.

“What are you doing here, Corinthos?” Ned was a Quartermaine, and could match Sonny pound for pound in derision. 

“I’m here to see my lovely lawyer.”

Ned stopped looking at Sonny and addressed Alexis. “You had to meet him here so he could rub the custody agreement in AJ’s face?”

“Ned,” admonished Alexis.

“No,” smiled Sonny, “that’s just a perk.”

“Can you both stop?” Alexis was so tired of hearing them fighting all these years, she was starting to consider letting Sonny go as a client just for the peace. But then she’d have no more clients...and no more friends. It’s not like Jax or Nikolas were clammering her see her unless they needed something.

“I’m leaving,” said Sonny moving to kiss Alexis on the cheek much the way Ned just did. “Alexis, thank you for your services. Ned, tell AJ I said hello.”

Sonny walked out the door and Ned slammed it shut. 

“Do you have to bring him here?” said Ned

Alexis put her hand on her cocked hip, “Bring him here? He just showed up.”

“Can’t you tell him not to come over uninvited? Meet him somewhere else.”

“Like where? My office?” her voice held more sarcasm than Ned and Sonny put together.

“Oh God, can we not get into this argument again? If you want an office, go get an office!”

“With what clientele, Ned? Every client I represent, your family has a problem with! I can’t do any corporate work because they’re competition! I can’t represent ELQ, because Edward is paranoid. I can’t do criminal work because it associates me with the wrong people!”

“But of all the clients you decide to fight to keep, you pick Corinthos! The most dangerous criminal in the state, and you’re representing his interests AGAINST the family. Not the family business, but the actual FAMILY!”

“It’s AJ! He’s a terrible father, a worse person, and raging alcoholic!”

“It takes one to know one!”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you guzzling down vodka every chance you get.”

“Maybe that’s because the only time we ever see each other anymore is at family events where I have to endure putting up with you and your family.”

“Well, poor you. I’m sorry you have to endure Monica, who lets you live in her home. I’m sorry you have to endure grandfather and mother, who handed over the family foundation for you to run because you said you liked the work. And I’m sorry you have to endure time with the man you choose to share a bed with every night.”

Alexis rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I don’t know whose whining criticisms are more difficult to endure, Edward’s, Tracy’s, or yours.”

“Maybe if you weren’t fighting tooth and nail to keep Michael away from this family, there wouldn’t be so many!”

“Give me a break. If I got rid of Sonny, your family would just find something new to harp on me about. At least Helena and Stavros let me know how much they despised me. The Quartermaines like to layer their contempt with passive aggression and false sense of loyalty.”

“Sure Alexis, compare my family’s constructive suggestions to your stepmother’s death threats and physical abuse. Your argument is convincing counselor.”

“Suggestions? Like when your mother all but called me a prostitute in my red dress? Or when my husband calls me a raging alcoholic? If you don’t think those words hit as hard as Stavros’s fists or sting as sharp as Helena’s knife, you’re sadly mistaken.” 

Ned’s jaw dropped. “You don’t mean that.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Alexis…”

“And, one more thing you were mistaken about, I won’t be sharing your bed tonight.”

She spun on her heel, grabbed her purse by the door, and tore out of the house.

“Alexis!” she heard her husband yell after her. Alexis moved quickly to the garage. It was cold out and she’d forgotten her jacket. She didn’t dare go back for it, or Ned might stop her from leaving. 

She didn’t have to think about where she was going, her body instinctively knew. She drove fast and distracted, trying to get away from her husband, and away from the woman who could do nothing right. She would flee to a man who found something worthwhile about her, even if it was something as superficial as how her ass looked perched on five inch Louboutins. 

It was gently snowing, but the roads were slick, forcing her to slow down, forcing distraction from her anger. She couldn’t call Lorenzo when she had to worry about not running herself off the road. She’d call when she got to the hotel. 

She heard her phone ringing and knew it was Ned. She silenced it and tried not to think of the look in his eyes when she compared his family’s harsh words to Stavros and Helena’s decades-long abuse. Alexis pushed the thought away, knowing the family’s words hurt as much as they did because they were all true. She WAS whoring around with Lorenzo, with no intention of stopping. She WAS drinking too much to deal with her shitty life.

Maybe it was time to make some kind of change…

She’d think about it another day. Tonight, she just wanted to get away for awhile.

Hopefully Lorenzo could, too.

By the time she made it to the Metro Court, she was a mixed up pile of anger, shame, fatigue, and anticipation.

She bypassed the front desk and rode the elevator to the twelfth floor. Maybe she’d take a hot, steamy bath while she waited for Lorenzo to warm from the cold. She hoped he had wine in the room. 

She pulled the key card out of the envelope and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and her eyes were drawn to the only light in the room, the lamp on the nightstand. It was a new lamp from last time. It must’ve been one of the things Lorenzo broke when she left.

Lorenzo was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He was wearing his suit pants and a white, button-up shirt. A pair of glasses were perched on his nose and a book was in his hand. His eyes weren’t on the pages in front of him, but were staring over the rim of his glasses at Alexis.

For a moment she stood staring back. She didn’t know if she should apologize for her intrusion, or ask him what he was doing in their little fuck pad when he lived in a compound just outside of town. 

Whatever words she was going to come up with got lost in a jumble in her mind when she recognized the hungry look Lorenzo was giving her. She dropped her purse on the couch and walked to the bed. 

He closed his book and set it on the side table, followed by his glasses. He looked back to Alexis in heated anticipation. His long body was vibrating with tension in contrast to his relaxed position. 

Alexis didn’t say a word. She just started pulling off her clothes one by one. Her blouse, her shoes, her pants, and her underwear. It was all so unceremonious, but still seemed the most monumental moment of the day. 

Lorenzo’s eyes took her in. His intense expression was more gratifying than anything Ned had said or done for her in the last two years. She felt desired. She felt like a woman, not a pawn in a family chess match, long discarded for lack of usefulness.

Alexis knew what she wanted from him. Her eyes dropped to his trousers, and if his expression wasn’t giving away his thoughts, then his tented pants certainly were. 

She crawled onto the bed, and his accommodating legs parted. Her hands went to his pants undoing buckles, zippers, and other barriers to the erection underneath. He held still except to lift his hips when she tugged his clothes down. 

She sat there a moment, naked, and on her knees. His hands were gripping the duvet beneath with tense anticipation. Their faces weren’t far from each other in his sitting position. He really had a beautiful face with all those sharp angles and his heated expression. She didn’t think she could ever get enough of those eyes. And his lips, visible through his scruffy beard, were begging to be kissed. She bent forward and offered him a soft, gentle kiss. She pulled away when he opened his mouth, and he groaned in irritation. She smiled at his need for more.

She’d give him more...

Alexis never had a chance to really see Lorenzo’s cock before. She’d only caught a couple of glimpses their last two times having sex. But, there it was in front of her in all it’s long, thick glory.

Alexis wasted no time with teasing foreplay. She bent over him and took his cock in her mouth. His uninhibited grunt pleased her to no end. His hands reached down and tangled in her hair. Her mouth sucked deep, and her hands grabbed his base. She arched her back and let her ass lift in the air, giving him a view with the service.

It had been so long since she had such a big, thick cock in her mouth, it took her a moment to remember how to loosen her throat and let in him deep. 

“God damn,” he groaned as his hands tightened in her hair. 

She rewarded his expression of approval by fluttering her tongue over his sensitive head before sucking him deep again. She grabbed his heavy balls in one of her hands and massaged as her mouth worked over him. His precum was thick and hot, foreshadowing what was to come.

Alexis grazed her teeth along his length as she sucked. He bent over her and caressed down her back and up her waist. His long arm lifted up and his hand smacked back down on her ass before retracing his path back to her head. The lingering sting on her bottom giving her a pulsating pleasure between her legs. 

She couldn’t remember wanting to suck a cock so bad in her life. To feel the hot length down her throat. She couldn’t remember a time when giving head was as much for her at it was for the man. But she wanted this. She wanted Lorenzo, and she wanted his cock. 

Soon, she felt his balls tightening up and his cock throbbing and growing bigger. He grabbed the duvet in his hand, probably to stop himself from ramming his cock so far down her throat she’d feel it in her liver. Knowing he was about to come, she pulled her mouth away and let go of his balls. Lorenzo growled in frustration, and the duvet ripped apart. 

Alexis smirked up at him through her lashes, “Settle down, Lo. I’m nowhere near done.”

Lorenzo let go of the torn fabric and grabbed a fistful of her hair. She couldn’t tell if he wanted to kiss her or spank her. “You’re determined to drive me crazy.”

She ran her tongue slowly over her lips. She wondered what that would be like to really see Lorenzo lose it. He was typically so contained. She’d seen him edge up against his dam of self-control, have to reel himself in a few different times, but she’d yet to see him fully let go. The thought gave her heart a burst of exhilaration. 

She grabbed his cock in her hand and started stroking. Lorenzo bit the side of his cheek as though trying to inhibit whatever expletives might burst out from her attentions. She grinned and bent her head down, running her tongue across his sack. 

His fingers stroked through her hair and massaged her scalp as she teased him with her tongue. He wasn’t trying to control her, to top her from the bottom. He was just adoring her while she lavished on him. Gratitude for a gift. She wanted to please him all the more.

Alexis took his cock in her mouth again and sucked hard. Losing some of that self-control he pulled on her hair, and his hips bucked up into her mouth, one, two, three times. He grunted and forced himself to stop. He let go of her and put his hands up on the headboard, gripping tight. “It’s all you, princess.”

She nipped the tip of his head before restarting her own rhythm. Now, she wasn’t teasing or playing with him. She was fucking him with her mouth. She was ready for him to cum, to see him fall apart. She wanted to make his toes curl. To drink down his cum until her stomach was swimming with his sperm. She wanted to be filled with him.

Her lips tightened, her cheeks hollowed, and her head moved faster and faster. She realized she was moaning in anticipation. Lorenzo’s quiet grunts and growls had turned into a repetitive string of curses, as many in Spanish as English. He climaxed with a loud, unintelligible curse. His hands dropped to her head as he thrust his hips, penetrating deep in her mouth as spurts of cum shot out of his cock gushing down her throat. She swallowed as much as she could, but his stream of thick, viscous cum wouldn’t stop. Her mouth was so full of his cock and his cum, she was still sucking it down after his orgasm subsided. 

Lorenzo forcibly lifted her head off him to look in her eyes. She was startled by a hardly contained delirious look of confused adoration on his face.

“Who the hell are you, Princess Natasha...Alexis...Cassadine...Davis?”

Alexis blushed. At a time in her life when she felt like wisp, having no effect on the world around her, she just created a tempestuous reaction in the man in front of her. 

Lorenzo continued staring with frustrated bewilderment. Once again, she tried to pull away, but he didn’t let her go. His eyes narrowed and his thumb gently grazed her bottom lip. He brought his thumb up to show her what was left behind on her mouth. “You missed some.”

Alexis took his thumb in her mouth and licked off the cum. Lorenzo gave a rumbling chuckle of appreciation. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her into his lap. 

“Your mouth is incredible,” he said. He kissed that mouth adoringly. 

“Now I’ve heard people say I have a smart mouth, but never an incredible one.”

“Then you’re not giving enough head. People should know how incredible this mouth is.”

Alexis laughed. “I should set up a stand at the next farmer’s market. Offer blow jobs for compliments.”

“I’d buy out your entire inventory.”

She grinned, “You’re good at compliments. You better be careful, a girl could get used to being treated so nicely.”

He looked at her seriously, “I don’t think what you just did is something I could ever get used to.”

She blushed and hid her face in his neck. His damn shirt was still on, blocking her from the warmth of his chest. She reached up and started undoing his buttons to get him as naked at she was. He shrugged off the shirt and tossed it aside. Finally she had access to her warm and sexy pillow she missed so much from the other day.

“You’re keeping this room?” she asked.

“I am.” Lorenzo languidly stroked her hair. His movement was that of a well-satisfied, grateful man.

“For how long?”

“Indefinitely.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t think you’d want to be seen coming and going from my house.” He kissed the crown of her head and resumed stroking her hair.

“Thank you.” That was actually really thoughtful. “Why were you here when I arrived? I expected to have to call you when I got here.”

“I was hoping a couple days without seeing each other might’ve left you as hungry as I am.”

“You were here in case I showed up?”

“Yes.” His hand dropped to her shoulder and began massaging.

“Ouch.” She didn’t realize how tense her muscles were, that even a gentle rub caused her pain.

“Too hard?” he asked.

“No, too neglected.”

“In that case, we’ll get your endorphins flowing in no time.” He went back to massaging.

“Will you be staying here everyday?” she asked, gritting her teeth as he rubbed out a knot.

“I haven’t thought about it. Would you like that? Your own personal stud waiting for you to come mount him any time of day?”

“What’s not to like? You might get bored though.”

He chuckled, “Hardly.” 

Just as Alexis was beginning to enjoy the massage, he moved his hand to her other shoulder, and the pain started from scratch.

“I’m sorry for barging in,” she said. “I didn’t realize you’d be here. I was going to call when I got here.”

“I gave you a key so you could come in whenever you like.”

She wondered if he had any other rooms in the hotel for other people he was hooking up with. She wondered if he’d use this room with another woman. The thought made her sick and irrationally angry. She had no claim to him.

Alexis hesitated, not wanting to show her vulnerability. “Um...just let me know if you’re going to need privacy here...I’d hate to intrude.”

“I’m not fucking anyone else, princess. You’re a handful all on your own.” He emphasized his point by bringing his hand down to her ass to start massaging there.

“But if you decide…”

“Stop. I’m, for lack of a better word, enjoying this. I have no desire or intention to see anyone else. Let’s just let this run its course.”

Alexis sighed. She’d never been a “let this run its course” kind of girl. She was a planner. A problem-solver. She lived by deadlines and timelines...except the last few years.

“I’ve never been very good at spontaneity.”

“Oh, I’d say you’ve been pretty damn good lately.” 

She chuckled. “You are the exception.” Every other time she tried her hand at spontaneity, it ended catastrophically. Like when she lost her virginity at sixteen. 

The last two miserable years of her life had little in the way of obligation or responsibility, little in the way of a schedule. She was left a bitter, resentful, bored, and lonely woman.

“Lay down,” said Lorenzo. 

Alexis didn’t really feel like getting off Lorenzo. She was quite comfortable snuggled up on his lap, with his hands rubbing away her tension. But she did as requested. 

“Turn over,” he said.

Alexis rolled onto her stomach. She felt his weight shift the bed, and he straddled her ass. His relax and satisfied cock rested heavy across her cheeks. His large hands pressed down on her back, making her moan pleasure. Lorenzo kneaded her muscles, starting at her shoulders. 

“I’ve got a question for you,” said Lorenzo, working out a knot in her neck.

“Hmm?” she said, trying to focus on his words when all she could feel was the pleasure/pain of him squeezing the tension out of her body.

“Are you taking new clients?” 

“I’m not representing you for anything, so don’t ask.”

He chuckled. “Not me. A business associate of mine is getting a divorce.”

“A business associate?” Warning bells shot off in her head.

“Not that kind of business. Completely legitimate. I gave him your number.” 

“I don’t remember giving you permission to give my number away.”

“If you don’t want him for a client, just refer him somewhere else. There’s a prenup, so it won’t be much in the way of work. Pretty amicable. An easy paycheck.”

“Do I look in need of money?”

“No. An associate asked my recommendation on a lawyer I trust. Trust and lawyer are two words I rarely use in the same sentence.”

“You think it’s smart to trust me?” she smiled.

“I trust you’re good at your job. You got yourself off a murder charge,” he grumbled. 

“That had little to do with legal prowess. And it’s not a point I take much pride in, so I’d rather you leave that tidbit out of your recommendations to potential clients.”

“Believe me, I have no interest telling my associates the woman I’m referring them to is the woman who tossed my brother off a balcony.” She noticed his hands massaging rough and impatient.

“But you’re fine with sleeping with said woman?”

He sighed. “I don’t know if ‘fine’ is how I’d describe how I feel about all this.”

“How DO you feel about it?”

Lorenzo exhaled slow. His silence stretched on and she realized she wouldn’t get an answer from him. He massaged firmly down each of her arms, taking care to rub the tension all the way out of her palms and fingertips. 

“Your hands are magic,” she said.

He gave a suggestive chuckle, and Alexis was pleased he wasn’t ruminating on his brother. 

He rubbed down her back and to her ass. His aggressive squeeze on the extra padding of her derriere was sensual as hell. 

“You looked pretty pissed off when you walked in, princess. Did something happen?”

Alexis didn’t know if it was a good idea to talk about her marital problems with her paramour, but it had been so long since anyone had any interest in her thoughts or feelings, the words just came tumbling out.

“Sonny was giving me a hard time about working with you. Ned was giving me a hard time about working with Sonny. That lead to the same ongoing barbs we’ve been throwing at each other for years. The only difference today was a key card to this room showed up during the midst of it all and I took off to come see you.”

Lorenzo made a “hmm” sound that implied he had some thoughts he was poorly suppressing.

“Just say what you’re thinking,” said Alexis.

“You’ve got a lot of controlling assholes in your life.”

She laughed out loud at his observation. His hands paused their rubbing as her laughter continued on, her body bouncing up and down. 

“Your ass and thighs wiggle adorably when you laugh.” He grabbed a handful of flesh from her thigh and shook it to recreate the wiggle.

“I’ll ignore you playing with my fat.”

“You forget I’m a Latin American man.” Lorenzo grabbed handfuls of her ass. “We like something to grab onto.”

She wondered if he meant that.

“Seriously, princess, why do you let them tell you what to do?”

“I obviously don’t. I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

“But they don’t know that. Like I’ve said before, this is your secret rebellion.” His hands moved down her legs massaging her calves and feet.

“I don’t know. This seems like more than a rebellion.”

“How so?”

“I’m not here just to defy my husband.”

“Then why are you here?”

YOU, she couldn’t say. But part of the reason was because she was growing to like Lorenzo. And she was quickly becoming addicted to all the things he made her feel. Beautiful. Desired. Mind-blowing orgasms. Full body massages. “I have my reasons. Your magic hands are one of them.”

“Then I’ll have to get my hands on you more often.”

She smiled. “Strange bedfellows, don’t you think?”

“You have no idea.” His tone was cool. 

She wanted to change the subject before they got back the topic of Luis. She noticed his book on the nightstand. “A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. Are you a history buff? Or is it war that interests you?”

He rumbled a pleasant chuckle. “Both. I got my masters in history at Oxford.”

“Oxford? Your masters?”

“You sound surprised. Did you expect more refinement of an Oxford graduate?”

“No. Well, maybe in your career choice.”

“Luis’s death changed my role in the family business.”

Well, there went her pathetic attempts at avoidance. She rolled over to look at him. To gage his mood. Lorenzo was staring down at her with a stone look on his face. She wondered if he was making a decided effort to do so.

He lay next to her, his hands still rubbing and exploring, attending to her chest above her breasts. “How about you? How did Princess Natasha get into law?”

“My brother expected it of me.” She didn’t know why she let the truth slip out quite so quickly. 

“So, not much has changed after all these years? Your career is being bullied about by family?”

“Stefan didn’t bully me. I wanted to be a lawyer. My hope was always to shift to more pro bono work at the end of my career. I didn’t expect to give up my work entirely.”

“Yet here you are,” he said.

She nodded. “I really don’t know how I let this happen.”

“So change it. I’m sure it would be easy for you to build a practice back up with your reputation and connections.”

“It’s not that simple. I’m not the only person I have to consider.”

Lorenzo laughed sarcastically, “The way Ned considers you when he makes decisions?” He grabbed an assertive handful of breast that took Alexis off guard. 

“I don’t know that Ned makes decisions. He’s a pawn as much as I am.”

Lorenzo cocked his head as he rolled a nipple between his fingers. “Who castrated him?”

“His mother.”

“Mommy issues.” Lorenzo shook his head.

“Do you have Mommy issues?”

“They’re a requirement for being human, princess. Mine just tend to express themselves a little differently.”

“How?”

“Another time. I really don’t want to talk about my mother when there’s a beautiful, naked woman in my bed who needs me to finish her full body massage.”

“There’s more to this massage? I think you’ve hit all the major pieces and parts. 

Lorenzo raised a eyebrow. “All the major pieces and parts?” His hand dipped down between her legs rubbing the outside of her sex.

She couldn’t help the smile spreading over her face. “Ok, maybe you missed one.”

“We can’t have that, now, can we?” 

Alexis shook her head as Lorenzo rolled over her, and resting his body between her legs. “No, we can’t.” 

“Now, excuse me, your highness. By royal decree, we can’t leave the princess unsatisfied.” Lorenzo kissed down her abdomen and lavished on her pussy with all the same enthusiasm as she gave him.

 

________________________________________

 

“Ok, stop! Enough!” demanded Alexis, trying to pull him off by his too short hair. 

“No,” said Lorenzo, then dipped his tongue in her pussy again, completely unaffected by her protestations.

“I can’t handle another one. It’s too much.” She tried squeezing her legs together, but he had them pinned spread open to the bed. “Please, Lorenzo. Your tongue has got to be getting tired.”

“Quiet down. My tongue is just fine.”

Alexis lost count of the orgasms he’d given her. After the first two, they all just started blending together. “For the sake of my sanity, let me rest!”

He kissed her clit and gave it a lick, making Alexis shudder. “You’ll probably be leaving soon, and I want you thinking of where my mouth was when you wake up tomorrow with sore muscles from all this thrashing around.”

“I don’t have to leave anytime soon,” she pleaded.

Lorenzo popped up and crawled over her body. “What do you mean?”

“I told Ned not to expect me home tonight. I planned on staying.” Alexis realized how presumptuous those plans were. “But I can go if you…”

“You’re spending the night?” he asked in a low voice.

“Only if you want. I can get a separ…”

Lorenzo crushed his mouth on hers before she could finish her thought. She could feel the excitement radiating off him. He was smiling as he licked in her mouth. She couldn’t help but smile, too. 

“So, you’re fine with me staying?” she giggled.

“I’m relieved,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I’d get to nail you half the ways I imagined when you walked in the door and stripped down for me.” 

“You have all night to do your worst. So, can I have a break?”

He looked to be considering the possibility. “Is that a royal decree from her highness, the princess?”

She laughed, “It is. Her highness wants a bath and food.”

“Those are reasonable requests.”

“Very reasonable.”

“But they’ll have to wait.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a condom from in the drawer. She marveled at his long length and wingspan. 

“I thought you were supposed to be my dark knight rescuing me from my tower? Instead you’ve kidnapped me and made me your sex slave.”

He sheathed his dick with the condom. “That’s what makes me your DARK knight, princess.” He lay down over her and lined his cock up with her pussy. “You know what kind of man I am, probably better than most.” Lorenzo nuzzled his face into her neck; his scruffy beard tickling and scratching. “With your daddy issues, it’s probably the reason I turn you on so much.”

“I’m going to reiterate what you said…” She was cut off by Lorenzo thrusting his cock in her pussy. “Please don’t talk about my father when…” His mouth sealed over hers. He kissed her like he fucked her, slow but deep and hard.

When his mouth broke away, Alexis said, “You’re a controlling bastard aren’t you?” 

His hips kept thrusting as he considered her words. “Fine,” he concluded. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over so she was on top. “Take the reigns, princess.”

Alexis grinned. “Mr. Control Freak giving up control to me twice in one night?” She sat up astride him and moved her hips to find a rhythm that pleased her. 

“I’m not a control freak,” he said. His hands dug into her thighs as she rode him. 

“Is that so?” Alexis looked at the ripped duvet. “You destroyed a perfectly nice blanket because I wasn’t sucking your dick the way you wanted.”

“You sucked my dick just fine. I destroyed the blanket stopping myself from ruining your perfect dick sucking.”

Alexis rolled her hips, trying to stay focused on their conversation while pleasure rolled through her body. Lorenzo reached up and grabbed the pillow under his head. Alexis could tell it was to stop himself from taking over and fucking her from the bottom. 

“So, your blanket-ripping WAS your self-control?” she asked. “Much like your current pillow strangling?”

“Exactly. How you suck me...how you fuck me...it’s perfect. I’m just stopping myself from fucking it up.”

Alexis thought of the last time they were in this room together. She looked up to the new lamp on the nightstand. “That’s a nice new lamp, I notice. Does its presence have anything to do with your self control?”

Lorenzo looked seriously at her. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her body down against him. “Its predecessor lost its life stopping me from kidnapping you and spiriting you away to Venezuela to really be my sex slave.”

She knew he wasn’t kidding. Her racing heart should have been because of fear of the dangerous man between her legs, but she knew it was palpatating for another reason. “And you don’t think you’re a control freak?” She softened her question by saying, “A girl could get used to being wanted so badly.”

“I’ll never get used to wanting you so much.”

Alexis kissed him deep. The gratitude she felt for being desired had her giving up her need for control. She wrapped her arms around him, urging him to roll back on top of her. Lorenzo resumed his slow, hard fuck.

“You know, you’re right. I am a control freak. But there’s a reason,” he grunted. “I come from a long line of men who couldn’t control their impulses to dominate their women. I’m susceptible to the same madness, Alexis. You have no idea what kind of control freak I can be once I really lose control.”

“Is that paradox supposed to scare me?”

He paused after a deep thrust of his hips. “Considering you’re a woman who’s susceptible to men who like to control her life...absolutely.”

“The difference is, my dark knight, when I give you control, I do so willingly.”

His eyes flared at her words, and his mouth crushed down on her. They finished their fuck in silence, save for the moans of pleasure and demands for more.

They kissed and kissed long after they came, until Alexis’s stomach demanded attention. 

“Do I get fed in my captivity?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Of course. You also get the bath you requested. Order room service and I’ll run the water.”

Lorenzo rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Alexis got up and walked to the table to get the room service menu. She stopped by her purse on the way and looked at her phone. Ten missed calls from Ned.

She didn’t want to call him back. She didn’t want to ruin her night. She text him, “I’m fine. I’ll be home in the morning.” She turned off her phone and put it back in her purse. Her appetite somehow diminished.


	6. Furtive Encounters

Furtive Encounters

_______________________________

 

Alexis woke with a heavy arm wrapped around her waist and an urgency to use to restroom. She wiggled out from Lorenzo’s arms without waking him. He must’ve been exhausted. He’d kept her up most of the night, and just as they were dozing off, one of his men came to the door to talk “business” and Lorenzo left awhile. Alexis wasn’t sure what time he returned because she slept through most of it, completely exhausted.

She scurried to the bathroom to relieve herself. Her mouth was disgusting. She didn’t want to count the hours since she last brushed her teeth. She rinsed her mouth in the sink, but that hardly helped. She stole Lorenzo’s toothbrush on the counter to get the job done. She wondered why she was more wary of using his toothbrush than swallowing his cum.

She’d save her shower for later, knowing she’d need it again before she left. She went back to the bed and sat next to him while he slept. 

Lorenzo was such a tall man, that his lean body often looked skinny when he dressed in his suits. But nudity and proximity proved how broad and just plain big the man was. He was near double her width in his shoulders. His biceps were enormous, and his hands could easy crush a skull. She was disappointed the blanket was covering his bottom half.

She sat back against the headboard enjoying his slow, rhythmic breathing. Her hand ran across his relaxed face and scruffy jaw. She looked for Luis in his features, and couldn’t see him, at all. 

Her hands on his warm skin were getting her aroused. She took a breath and pulled away, knowing if she kept touching him, she wouldn’t let him sleep for long. 

She turned to his nightstand and grabbed his book. The well-read tome opened to a dog-eared page. Circled in blue ink was an excerpt from the troubadour Bertrand de Born. For some reason the name brought up a memory of Dante’s Inferno. She read the circled words:

I tell you I have no such joy as when I hear the shout  
"On! On!" from both sides and the neighing of riderless steeds,  
And groans of "Help me! Help me!"  
And when I see both great and small  
Fall in the ditches and on the grass  
And see the dead transfixed by spear shafts!  
Lords, mortgage your domains, castles, cities  
But never give up war!

She closed the book. Why on Earth would he be interested in that warmongering poem? Her Lorenzo wasn’t such a violent man. If he was, she’d probably be dead by now. She looked back down certain she’d see Luis staring at her. 

But it was still Lorenzo. Her Lo. And he was still fast asleep.

Alexis set the book down on the nightstand and turned her attention back to the man in the bed. She gently kissed the corner of his mouth. It gave a pleasant little twitch as though wanting to smile, but his rhythmic breath didn’t falter.

She couldn’t help herself any longer. She lay down and wrapped her arms around him. She placed a kiss on his lips. 

He didn’t move.

Pouting, she kissed him again, this time sucking his bottom lip into her mouth. 

“Mmm,” he moaned a grumbling sound. His arm wrapped around her and pulled her tight against him. 

But the rhythmic breathing carried on.

Waking him was becoming a challenge, and she was getting horny. She moved her head to his ear and sucked a lobe into her mouth. Her hands stroked up and down his back, using her nails for more than a gentle scratch.

“Ow!” he snapped his eyes open and assessed the woman in his arms. Alexis felt her world spin as he flipped her around so her back was to his chest. Her arms were crossed in front of her and bound by his tight restraining hands. Her body responded to the helplessness of his strong grip with a heady arousal.

Lorenzo took a deep breath with his face buried in her hair. His deep voice rumbled in her ear, “Are you waking me up to leave me again or fuck me?”

“That depends. What will get you to loosen your grip?”

“Neither.”

“Then the latter.”

Lorenzo growled a satisfied rumble and thrust his hips into her behind. His cock slid between her legs hardening by the moment. He kissed from her shoulder to her neck, licking, sucking, and biting. She arched her back trying to get his cock inside, but all he did was tease, making her desperate for more.

“Please,” she begged. “Please, Lorenzo.”

“I love when you’re needy like this.” Lorenzo shoved his cock in her pussy from behind, filling her up, giving her what she wanted. His arms squeezed her tight, stealing her air. “You’re at my mercy, princess” he grunted while he fucked her. “I’m going to fuck your ass soon, and when I do, I’m going to take it just like this. All bound up and nowhere to go.”

The thought of Lorenzo in her ass was terrifying and thrilling. 

“You’re going to be mine every way I can fucking get you.”

In that moment, she was his, completely restrained, and getting fucked on his terms. Strange how the idea of any other man controlling her like that was repulsive. But this felt so damn right.

His hands grabbed her breasts, squeezing while he pounded from behind. She freed her arms and reached behind for his head to pull him closer and feel his scratchy beard against her neck.

She felt his body tense and his rhythm change. She knew he was going to come. Lorenzo reached down to her clit giving her the help she needed to get there with him. He came loud and hard; she couldn’t hear her own cries over his cursing and grunting in her ear. 

Triumphant thoughts raced across her mind while orgasm surged through her body. She was the one who made him lose it like that. Her body. Her pussy. Her sex. She did that. 

In the midst of his orgasm, he lost control of her. She turned around in his arms before he was ready to pull out, and he gave her a smack on the ass for his frustration. But she needed to kiss him. She need to seal her lips over his. She needed her tongue in his mouth and her arms around him. 

His arms and legs encased her, giving her some balm for her excruciating neediness for him. She kissed him until her lips were painfully swollen. When she pulled away, she noticed his eyes were hungry for more. His cock lay sated between them, but his desire magnified.

All she could think was MORE. She needed more HIM.

A panicked breath stole through her at the realization of how much she was feeling for this man. Her heart stopped beating a moment too long. Her lungs sucked any air they could muster and she willed her heart to move. “What are we doing?” she asked with her lips against his.

He shook his head, “I don’t know. This is something so different than I intended.”

“I never intended anything, Lorenzo. And you were intending to hurt me.”

He flinched at her words. “You know I don’t want that anymore.”

“We should stop this before it goes too far,” she said. “Who am I kidding? Too far happened in that closet weeks ago.”

“Alexis.” Lorenzo grabbed her face in his hands. The look in his eyes was intense, almost angry. “We’re nowhere close to done, you understand? I’m not finished with you yet.”

She wasn’t done with him either. But the intensity of what just passed between them made her afraid this madness was only going to intensify. 

She nodded and kissed him gently. She pushed her instincts to run aside because she just really wanted more of him.

“I better take a shower,” she said needing to break the moment.

She heard Lorenzo’s teeth grind together and a look of suppressed frustration froze on his face. He took a breath and nodded letting her go. 

Alexis rolled off the bed and stood up. Gravity pulled Lorenzo’s cum down her leg. “We really need to be more careful,” she said. But she wasn’t really that worried about unforeseen consequences. Lorenzo said he wasn’t having sex with anyone else, and she believed him. And Alexis had been off birth control for nearly ten years and nothing ever happened. Kids just weren’t in the cards for her.

Lorenzo’s breath caught behind her, and she felt his hand reach between her legs. His fingers spread his cum up the lips of her sensitive pussy. “Jesus Christ,” he said, plunging his fingers inside. 

“Lorenzo,” she whimpered, feeling too damn good. “I need to shower.”

He didn’t respond except to continue touching her. To feel his cum coating her sex.

The panicky feeling of excessive intimacy shot through her again. She stepped away from him. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

Alexis didn’t turn around. She knew if she hesitated, she’d be back in his arms and she’d be wanting him in that crazed way again. She walked straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Alexis used the toiletries provided by the hotel rather than Lorenzo’s because Ned would lose it if she came home smelling like another man. She made a mental note to purchase some of her own for the next time she came to the hotel. 

Strange how she had thought about abandoning the affair and prolonging it all in a matter of minutes. 

Her labile emotions settled by the time she got out out of the shower and dried her hair. The time away from Lorenzo’s indecent touch and fiery gaze helped her mind cool down. 

Lorenzo was lying in bed with his eyes closed. He was obviously exhausted. Alexis picked up her clothes off the floor and put them on. When she was dressed, she sat on the bed next to him. He didn’t move, but she knew his body well enough to know he was awake. 

“I better get home,” she said. 

He nodded, eyes still closed.

She didn’t want to make it harder for either one of them, so she decided to skip the kiss goodbye. Where she could, she needed to put up a few boundaries for both their sakes. She stood and walked to the couch to gather her things.

“Meet me upstairs for lunch tomorrow,” said Lorenzo.

Alexis turned around and he was getting up from the bed. His long, fit, naked body had her biting her lip. She noticed a large bandage on the side of his leg about six inches above his ankle. It wasn’t there last night. She’d had her mouth on every inch of his body, and she would’ve seen a giant bandage. 

She tried to get a better look as she said, “We can’t have lunch together, Lorenzo. You know that.”

Lorenzo grabbed a long, black robe and put it on, tying it loosely in the front. The fabric covered his leg. He stepped close to Alexis. “Actually, I’m going to have to insist. Have you reviewed the report from my inspectors?”

“Not yet.”

“Given the generous nature of my offer, I’m afraid I’m going to have to be demand the Quartermaines meet some of my inspector’s recommendations for upgrades and repairs while the property is in escrow.”

She knew what he was doing. “You’re expecting me to handle the oversight of these repairs?”

“We can both ensure things get taken care of appropriately. I’m a hands-on man, Mrs. Ashton.”

When he called her by her married name, she knew he was putting up his boundaries, too. She was surprised how much she hated it.

“Fine. We can meet at noon upstairs tomorrow. But no funny business, Lorenzo. You have to promise you won’t compromise me in public.”

Lorenzo closed the gap between them. “Oh, Alexis, I promise, any compromising positions I put you in will be just between the two of us.”

Alexis put a hand on chest. “Speaking of compromising positions. What happened to you last night? Where did you go? How’d you get hurt?”

A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “You worried about me, princess?”

She was.

“Don’t worry, Alexis. It just grazed by. It doesn’t even hurt.”

She hit him in the chest. “Grazed by?! You left our bed in the middle of the night to go get shot? What were you thinking?!”

Lorenzo was smiling brightly. “You’re really worried, aren’t you? Come on, Alexis. You know what I do for a living. You represent Corinthos for Christ’s sake.”

She pointed a finger at him. “You better not leave me in your bed while you’re out getting shot ever again.”

“So you’re ok with me getting shot, just not when you’re in my bed,” he teased. 

She rolled her eyes at him. “Who shot you?” 

“Someone with poor aim.”

“Are they still alive?”

“Are you asking me to incriminate myself?”

“No, I’m asking if I’m going to have to worry about them shooting you again.”

His hands consolingly rubbed up and down her arms. “I’ve only been injured a handful of times in my line of work. I was a little careless last night, because, quite frankly, I was eager to get back to our bed. It was a wake-up call. It’s not going to happen again.”

Alexis turned around. She didn’t like the idea of pining after Lorenzo at the hotel while he was out risking his life for his stupid business. She didn’t like the idea of something worse happening to him.

“Princess,” he said, “I’m touched you’re worried about me, but it’s really unnecessary.”

She turned around and asked sharply, “Was it Sonny?” 

“Don’t ask me questions you know I can’t answer.” Lorenzo pulled her in for a hug. His long arms wrapped tight around her and he kissed her temple. “Forget about my leg; it doesn’t even hurt. I promise I won’t leave our bed to go get shot anymore, and you promise to have lunch with me tomorrow. Deal?”

Alexis looked up to his face. His sparkling blue eyes held a calm and reassuring expression. “You’re a dangerous man, aren’t you, Lorenzo Alcazar?”

“Which is one of the reasons you want me so bad.”

She couldn’t deny it, but she wouldn’t admit to it either. “I need to go.”

She tried to pull away, but his arms held her tight. “Lunch tomorrow?”

She sighed and nodded, truthfully excited at the prospect of sharing time with Lorenzo in public not actively fucking.

“Now,” his voice became authoritative, “you owe me a kiss goodbye.”

He cupped her head in his hands and bent down. He stopped his lips before they touched hers. He waited for Alexis to close the gap. Like a magnet, she couldn’t resist his pull. Her lips connected with his and she was lost to him again. 

However bad this man was for her, it didn’t matter. She needed how he made her feel; she hadn’t felt anything but disappointment in so long, that all these sensations, all these emotions were an absolute revelation.

Lorenzo licked deep in her mouth one last time before pulling away. “You better go before I tie you to the bed.”

“That’s not exactly a threat that scares me.”

That earned her a delighted grin. 

“Get some sleep,” she said. She turned and walked to the door. She felt him following behind. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, opening the door for her.

“Are you going to be mean to me again? You know, since we’ll be in public.”

He shrugged, “I think we can cool the overt hostilities and show we can work together peacefully.”

“So a civilized meal? One where you keep your hands to yourself?”

“Oh, I made no promises about that.”

“Good.” She reached up on her toes and kissed his bearded cheek. “Bye.”

“Bye.” 

As she walked out the door she felt a firm slap on her ass and a deep, rumbling chuckle as the door closed behind her.

____________________________________________

 

“Where were you?” 

Ned was sitting in the oversized chair in their room. He was wearing the same clothes he had the day before. An amber liquid filled half the glass in his hand. The bags under his red eyes told her he hadn’t slept all night. She wondered how much he had to drink.

“You haven’t cared about me for years, why does it only matter when I’m gone?” said Alexis.

“Are you leaving me?”

“I left for the night, Ned. I’m here now. That’s all I know.”

Ned took a large drink. He stood up and set the glass down on the side table. He walked to Alexis. She kept her arms crossed in front of her. 

“I don’t want to lose you, Alexis.”

She shook her head, “Why not? What good is anything we have together anymore?”

“We have our history, our friendship, our love.”

Alexis didn’t necessarily want to leave Ned, but the lawyer in her couldn’t help tease apart his argument. “We’ll always have our history, no matter what happens. But, honey, we haven’t had a friendship since...since…” Alexis tried to remember the last time Ned was a friend to her. She couldn’t.

“Since your sister died,” he said. “You shut me out when Kristina was killed.”

They were going there again. How many times would they have this argument? “I lost my sister and I killed her murderer. Can’t you cut your wife a little slack that I was pretending to lose my mind so I wouldn’t go to prison?”

“You shut me out, Alexis! You should’ve told your husband you weren’t really mentally ill! I thought you’d lost your mind and started murdering people!”

“It had to be believable. Including your reaction.”

“Well, it was. You were very successful.”

“Look, Ned. I can take responsibility for lying to you about Luis and the DID, but I don’t see how you can blame me for everything that’s happened since.”

“No...I don’t...I just didn’t know how to recover from being lied to by my wife, by my best friend, for months!”

“So, that’s why our marriage isn’t working? You’re still so bitter I lied that you’ve been taking out your resentment on me with ruthless sarcasm and overt hostility?” 

Imagine his ferocity if he ever found out about Lorenzo, she thought.

Ned stepped close and grabbed her by the arms. She flinched at his touch and could smell the whiskey on his breath. “I love you, sweetheart. I’ve messed up. A lot.”

She scoffed.

He continued, “But you have, too. You shut me out, Alexis. I know it’s not an excuse for what’s happened between us, but it is what its.”

Tears were filling her eyes, and she fought against them. She didn’t want to do this right now. She just left Lorenzo, who made her feel everything her husband couldn’t. Her need to see him again was still too fresh, too strong. And Ned’s heartache was too evident on his face. 

“I’m sorry, Ned. I can’t take back what I did to Luis, and I can’t take back what I did to us.”

“I don’t want you to. I just want to fix this, Alexis. I want to fix us.”

She pulled away from him. “I don’t know how to do that, Ned.”

“Neither do I. But we can try. We’re worth trying, right?”

Alexis didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what she wanted. She knew she couldn’t go back to being unwanted and cast aside. But she knew she couldn’t count on Lorenzo to be anything more for her than some fling. She didn’t know if she’d even want anything more from him if she could have it.

She looked up to Ned. He was her family. The only family she had left, aside from Nikolas. She didn’t know what she wanted from Ned, but she did know she wasn’t ready to lose him. 

“Valentine’s Day is coming up, sweetheart,” he said. “I want us to have our annual Valentine’s date.”

Alexis sighed at the implication of that date. “Ned, we haven’t done that for years.”

“I’m a stupid man, Alexis. You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve just figured out an annual date means yearly, after all.”

She chuckled.

“What’s that sound?” he smiled. “I think I might’ve heard it before.”

“It’s a laugh, Ned.”

“It’s a beautiful sound. We used to laugh, didn’t we?”

She nodded. “You used to make me laugh.”

He reached for her cheek. “Let me try to make you laugh again on Valentine’s Day.” The sadness and hope in his eyes pierced her heart. 

A tear fell. “Ok,” she nodded.

Ned looked like man just charged with the twelve labors of Hercules, but hopeful of his chances.

“You should get some rest, Ned. You look awful.”

He nodded. “What are you doing today?” he asked.

“I just got a call from someone getting a divorce. I’m meeting him at his office. I might pick him up as a client.”

“Oh?”

She nodded, “I figure Tracy or Edward couldn’t find a reason to complain about me practicing family law, right?”

Ned laughed uncertainly. “Well, you know my mother.”

Alexis nodded. “You’re right. But I want this, Ned. I want something for me again.”

He nodded. “You should have it. If my mother or grandfather give you a hard time, leave them to me.”

“I can handle them,” she said. He nodded looking defeated in his efforts at chivalry. “But thanks for the support.”

__________________________________________________

 

“Mrs. Ashton,” Lorenzo mumbled near her ear as he pulled out her chair. “You look stunning.”

Alexis eyed the charcoal suit he wore. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” She forced a look of indifference on her face as she spoke.

She let him scoot in her chair as she sat down. Not touching him was much harder than anticipated, especially being surrounded by his sexy, masculine scent. His fingertips playfully flicked her hair as he left to sit in his own seat across from her. 

Thoroughly stimulated, she grabbed the ice water Lorenzo had waiting for her and took a drink. 

She nearly coughed up the fiery liquid. “That’s vodka,” she said. 

Lorenzo laughed, “For the sake of pretenses, princess. No one would believe we could get through a meal together without alcohol.” He took a sip of his own whiskey.

She stared at his shining blue eyes and had to stay vigilant in her expression of indifference. How easy it would be to slip into the lover’s adoration of the day before. Lorenzo seemed much more practiced at hiding his emotion. He looked as though he was hardly pleased to see her, at all.

“I heard my friend called you yesterday. He said you met up. You’re taking his case?”

She nodded. “And that’s all I can say about it, you know that.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you’re getting your sea legs under you again.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been working a little these past few years, Lorenzo. I haven’t been completely out of the game.”

“Corinthos doesn’t count in my book.”

She sighed. She didn’t want to hear anything about Sonny from Lorenzo. She already heard enough from her husband and family about him. Lorenzo seemed to read her face and moved on. 

“I’ve given your number to a few other colleagues. I hope you don’t mind.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “I don’t need you to do my marketing for me. If I want more clients, I can get them myself.”

“I know you can. But when friends ask me for the best, I’m not going to lie to them about who she is.”

She couldn’t help her smile. She quickly removed it from her face.

Lorenzo started chewing on the inside of his cheek. Alexis could see the wheels turning in his head. He looked like a man who had something to say, but was concerned about the consequences of what might happen if he said it. 

“What?” she asked, wondering if she’d regret the question.

Lorenzo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed to her. Alexis took the paper, and noticed it carried his scent. She took a deep breath to steady herself from the lightheadedness the scent gave her, but that only brought more of the smell to her already addled brain.

“Are you alright, Mrs. Ashton?” he asked with a smirk. 

Alexis coughed and took another drink. “I’m fine.” She opened up the piece of paper. “Addresses? What’s this?”

“Don’t get mad…” he warned. Her hackles raised at his words as she dug her glasses out of her purse to read the fine print. He continued, “I asked an associate to find some good, safe offices spaces for you to look into.”

“Are you kidding me?” her face flushed with heat. It was the first time she felt quite so angry with him since they started their affair.

“They’re just options, princess. Calm down.”

“I can find my own options, if that’s what I want. Thank you very much.”

“I’m sure you could. But my associate has included costs, crime rates, move-in dates, insurance estimates, summaries of nearby businesses, and a variety of other information you may find useful in making your decision. He left his number for you to call if you’d like to see if any of the offices are viable options for your needs.”

“I have two clients, Lorenzo. My needs are minimal.”

“Come on, Alexis. You need to work. It’s in your blood. And dammit, how the hell do you ever think you’re going to finance the pro bono work you always dreamed of doing if you’re not making money? Are you going to use your husband’s money? Does the pro bono work even mean anything if you’re not the one taking the loss for it?”

Damn him! Why did he have to understand her that way? Alexis shot back the rest of her drink and raised her hand to signal the waiter for another. Lorenzo intuitively knew to wait for her to get her second glass before pressing her for her thoughts.

“You’re mad,” he said after she set her new glass down.

“I’m conflicted.”

“Why?”

“Because it should be me doing this legwork, not your associate. This is what I do. This is what I’m good at. Research, planning, decision-making.”

“But you haven’t done any of it. Why not? What’s holding you back?” 

She wasn’t certain, but something of her conversation with Ned the day before flittered through her brain.

“Look, Alexis, I didn’t lease any of these spaces for you, and I’m not forcing you to move into one. They’re just something to consider.”

Alexis sighed. “I don’t know why I’m so ruffled, to be honest. This was a lovely gesture, and you’re really the only person in my life with this much enthusiasm for my work.”

“My enthusiasm isn’t about your work, Alexis. It’s about your well-being. A woman as intellectual as you can’t be satisfied doing nothing all the time. If your interest was in gardening, I’d’ve bought you tickets to a home and garden show. If it was cooking, I’d’ve had a Cutco representative visit the house…”

“I don’t know what that means…”

He laughed. “I’m talking about doing something meaningful with your life. You don’t do dirt or flowers, and you don’t cook your own food, but you do lawyer like nobody’s business. So I want to encourage you to lawyer.”

“For my well-being?”

He shrugged.

“Wow,” she said.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“A month ago, you wanted me dead.”

He smirked, “And a month ago you wouldn’t have cared if I came home in the middle of the night wounded. But you care now.”

“And so do you,” she said. She let that warm thought settle in her mind. Lorenzo Alcazar cared about her well-being. 

She picked up the list and reviewed the options he presented. 

“See anything you like?” he asked tentatively.

“There are a couple of appealing options,” she conceded. She scrolled down the list as though ordering from a menu. One, she noticed, was in a new building Jax just had built right near the Metro Court.

Lorenzo’s face held a brief, self-satisfied smile before he replaced it with indifference. He dropped the subject knowing Alexis was perfectly capable of finding an office from there. She appreciated that he wasn’t forcing her or babying her. He offered some help, then backed off and let her do what she needed to do. 

They ordered their food and went back to appearing as though the meal didn’t mean anything to them. But Alexis was thoroughly enjoying getting to look at Lorenzo, fully-clothed, and in public for such a long period of time. 

“Did you get a chance to look over the recommendations from the report?” asked Lorenzo, taking a bite of his salmon.

“I did. I reviewed them with Edward this morning. His only objection was the replacement of the roof on the southern warehouse. You didn’t think he’d actually agree to install solar with the new roof?”

“I’ll reimburse the cost of the solar. I’d just like to get it done in escrow rather than wait for thirty days to get started.”

“Why on Earth did he recommend so many panels?” asked Alexis, flinching at the cost.

“I want the option of using the building for cold-storage. Come to think of it, would Edward object to installation of panels on the other buildings during escrow, as well?”

“I’m sure he’d be fine with it entirely at your expense.”

Lorenzo smirked, “I wouldn’t dream of trying to get one over on the old man.”

“Why such a big move, Lorenzo? What do you have planned for this space?”

“Princess,” he chided. “You’re not trying to imply I haven’t been straightforward with the Quartermaines about my intended use for the properties, are you?” He had a boyish grin on his face, as though he was planning on using his father’s signed Babe Ruth baseball to play ball with his friends in the park.

She remembered the bandage on his leg from yesterday and sighed. “I hope you’re careful, Lo. It’s no way to live your life.”

“It’s the only way I’ve ever lived my life,” he said, his grin fading.

“Even at Oxford?”

“The one exception.”

“How was it?” she asked. 

“How was what?”

“How was not having to look over your shoulder for the next bullet all the time?”

“Who said I ever stopped?”

“Old habits die hard?”

“And so to innocent bystanders.” Pain radiated across his face.

“What was her name?”

“Sophie.”

“I’m sorry.”

He nodded.

“Yet you’re still in the game?” she asked. “Even with such a loss?”

“So are you.”

“Are you talking about me associating with you? Or Sonny?”

“No one knows our association consists of time outside this transaction, Alexis.”

“So you’re talking about Sonny. You really hate him, don’t you?”

“The man who is one of the major reasons my twin brother was killed? Absolutely.”

“I’m one of the other reasons,” her voice cracked. A fact that once made her afraid of Lorenzo, no longer inspired fear, but shame. Guilt.

“But I don’t hate you. Not anymore.”

“Why not? Because I’m a good lay?”

Lorenzo sighed deep and looked at her softly. Anyone watching them would know his feelings for her weren’t what they’d once been. “Because I’ve held your little body in my arms, princess. I could crush you to pieces without breaking a sweat. The fear Luis must’ve put in you for you to overpower him makes me sick to my stomach. I blame him for what he made you do.”

Lorenzo’s admission knocked the wind out of her. She couldn’t catch her breath. His sympathetic eyes only made it worse. Tears were threatening to fall from her own. The panic was coming.

“Alexis,” he said, his voice full of concern. 

Alexis looked around the room to make sure no one was watching her lose it with Lorenzo, but her vision was blurry and she couldn’t tell.

“I need to go,” she said, not wanting to have a full blown panic attack in front of Lorenzo. Why the hell was it coming on? What triggered it this time? “I can’t do this right now.”

“Alexis…”

She stood and bolted for the elevator. She was glad Lorenzo didn’t follow her and raise more eyebrows than were already in the air. 

But someone did follow her.

“Alexis,” she felt a hand on her arm. 

Carly. The last person to help her calm herself down.

“Are you ok?” she asked. 

“I’m fine,” said Alexis. She tried controlling her breathing, but a pain was shooting down her arm.

“Was Alcazar threatening you?”

“It’s none of your business, Carly, but we were discussing ELQ. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just want to be left alone.”

“Sonny would want to know if Lorenzo was threatening his lawyer.” 

Just like Sonny would want to know if his wife was secretly working on a project with Lorenzo? Alexis had to force herself not to ask the question. And she needed to find out more of what the hell Lorenzo was up to.

The elevator door opened and Alexis stepped in. Carly stopped the door from closing and said, “Be careful with Lorenzo, Alexis. He always has an agenda.”

“I’m the last person in the world who needs to be warned about an Alcazar.”

Carly pulled back her arm and let the doors close. Alexis pushed the button to the twelfth floor.

When she got to Lorenzo’s room, she fished in her purse for a paper bag. She hadn’t needed one in ages...not since the trial.

Her large purse was full of shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, toothpaste, and a bunch of other toiletries she meant to bring. Frustrated, she upended the bag and dumped everything out. She still couldn’t find the damn paper bag.

The door to the room burst open and Lorenzo ran in. He strode forward and knelt in front of Alexis. She looked to him and the panic surged. He grabbed her by the arms and hugged her tight. 

A sob escaped her and tears started pouring down. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so sorry.”

“Nothing’s wrong with you, princess. You’ve got a lot going on right now. It’s ok.”

Alexis wrapped her arms around Lorenzo, both the source of her distress and her comfort.

“It’s ok,” he said. He kissed her cheek and wiped away her tears. “It’s ok.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve never been there that night.” She should’ve never confronted his brother.

Lorenzo held her head firmly, and gave her a look of intense sincerity. “He killed your sister, baby. You had every right to confront him. You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.”

But that wasn’t true. She knew exactly who Luis Alcazar was and what he was capable of. “I was so angry, Lorenzo. I didn’t care. I wanted him to face what he did. He tried to get me to leave, but I wouldn’t go. I hit him, and he hardly flinched except to hit me back and knock me to the floor. There was knife there. I grabbed it before he dragged me to the balcony and tried to throw me over. I stabbed him with the knife, and when he came at me again, his momentum took him over with just a push from me.”

“Were you scared?”

She nodded. “Terrified. He was so big. He was so much stronger. He was going to throw me over.”

Lorenzo grabbed her and pulled her close. His arms squeezed tight, magnifying the memory of Luis’s grip. Except Luis didn’t have Lorenzo’s look of compassion. He didn’t have the possessive tenderness in his grasp. And he didn’t put his lips on hers in such consoling comfort.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’m so sorry.”

“Stop, Alexis. Stop. I don’t want your apologies. He hurt you. He scared you. Let go of the stupid guilt.”

“I can’t!”

“Oh, baby. You have to.”

She sniffed and wiped her tears in his neck. “I think the guilt was easier to bear when you hated me.”

“No, Alexis, I think it was easier to bear when you were afraid of me. It was like he was still here, abusing you and menacing you all this time. I’m sorry I did that to you. I didn’t know what I was doing. But Luis is gone, and it’s his own fault. It’s time to move on, Alexis.”

He grabbed her face and kissed her cheek. “It’s time for both of us to move on.”

She didn’t think she was ready to let to, but damn it felt good to have Lorenzo tell her she should. It was the closest thing to forgiveness she’d ever receive from him. She let him kiss her. She kissed him back. 

His tongue, his mouth, his hands, they eased the pain, or at least distracted from it. She needed more. She needed his body. She started pulling at his suit trying to get at the skin underneath. Lorenzo helped her shed his clothes and hers, too. 

Alexis pulled him to the ground demanding closeness. Needing reassurance. Lorenzo gave her what she needed. He pushed himself inside her, fucking away her guilt and shame. Fucking away her pain. Fucking her until she was an exhausted, satisfied mess on the floor. 

When it was over, he carried her to the bed and covered her with the blankets. He picked up the mess she made with her purse, and she watched him carry her toiletries to the bathroom and put them away. Then, he got in the bed with her and spooned her from behind. 

No one seemed to be able to make her feel more anguish than Lorenzo, and at the same time give her more comfort than she’d ever received from anyone her entire life. She didn’t want to think about what that meant. She just laid in his arms as long as time would allow.

When her phone started ringing in her purse, she knew Ned was looking for her. It was time to go again. When she tried to sit up, Lorenzo held her tight.

“I have to go,” she said.

“This leaving thing is getting old.”

She nodded. It was getting harder for her every time.

“I want you to myself for a few days. I want to get away with you,” he said.

“We can’t just run away together, Lo.”

“Then go on a business trip. Isn’t there some kind of conference you can pretend to attend?”

Alexis shook her head. She hardly knew anything about that anymore, so out of touch she was with her work.

But she realized, “I’m taking a trip to Llanview next week. I’m staying a couple of days to meet with different school boards for the foundation. Ned’s not coming with me.”

“Perfect. I have a...meeting...so to speak next week. I’ll get it done before I leave and meet you there.”

“Lorenzo?”

“Hmm?”

“This isn’t what I imagined when you said we should ‘let this play out.’”

He kissed her head. “Me either, princess. I think we got a lot more than we bargained for.”


	7. Decisions

Decisions

_______________________________

 

“When do you get back from Pennsylvania?” asked Ned. He lay on the bed watching Alexis pack her bags while he picked at his guitar. 

“I have meetings Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I’ll come home Thursday morning.”

“I should be going with you.”

“Don’t be silly. You have responsibilities here.”

“Nothing my mother wouldn’t cover for me if I asked.”

Alexis tensed at the thought of Ned coming with her. It had been days since she’d seen Lorenzo and she was really missing him. “Don’t be silly. I don’t need a chaperone, and unless you want AJ to be CEO in a few years instead of you, you need to tend to your duties.”

“Junior doesn’t have it in him. Besides, my mother will be CEO long before any of the grandchildren.”

“AJ has a head for business, Ned. Too bad he can’t stay sober long enough to use it, but if you neglect your duties, Edward will take notice. He has a soft spot for AJ.”

“Because he can manipulate him any way he wants.”

“So don’t give your grandfather a reason to phase you out. You have that meeting with the city counsel on Tuesday, and you know you’re the best political representative for family.”

“You’re right. As usual.”

“And you have your performance at the club on Wednesday.”

Ned nodded. “I wish you could be there.”

“I can go the next week. You’re there all the time.”

“Am I there too much? Does it bother you I’m gone so many nights?”

“No. Playing is important to you.”

“Why are you so wonderful?”

Alexis turned around to dig through the clothes in her drawer. She tried not to roll her eyes that Ned thinking she was “wonderful” was equivalent to her pushing him away with every possibly manipulative strategy she could think to employ. “I’m not wonderful, Ned. Just being practical.”

“You’re bright, independent, and encouraging. What else could a man ask for?”

Faithful? she thought. 

Ned got out of bed to put his guitar away. While he was distracted, Alexis reached in her drawer and pulled out random handfuls of lingerie and shoved them into her bag under a pair of sweatpants she had lying on top. She zipped up her bag and set it on the ground. 

Two hands came up behind her and rested on her shoulders. She could feel herself shaking and tried to make it stop. 

“I’m going to miss you,” said Ned. His voice was low and suggestive.

“I’ll be home before you know it. You’ll probably enjoy my lack of nagging,” she tried to joke.

“No, sweetheart. I’ll miss every bit of it.” His mouth dropped to her shoulder, where he pulled her blouse aside and kissed the bare skin. His lack of beard obvious in comparison to the mouth that had been pleasuring her since Christmas. No part of her enjoyed the kisses, not because Ned wasn’t good with his mouth, but because it wasn’t the mouth that should be on her. 

Alexis felt like she was cheating on Lorenzo.

“I have a few more things to pack before I go to bed,” she said. His lips made their way to her ear. “I should really make sure I have everything.”

Ned’s hands dropped down and circled her waist. He turned her around to face him. Lust and admiration fueled his gaze in a way she hadn’t seen in longer than she knew. It took her breath away. 

“Ned,” she protested weakly.

“I know it’s been a long time.” His hands rubbed up her arms and down her back, pulling her close to him. “I’m the idiot with the sexiest wife in the world, and I haven’t touched her months. I’m done being stupid, Alexis. I want you.” He kissed her lips. “I want to show you how much you mean to me.” He kissed her again. “I want to make you come over and over.” And again. “I want us to remember how good it is between us. Why two people who wanted nothing to do with marriage took the leap.” And he kissed her again, his tongue pressing into her mouth.

Alexis let him kiss her. She couldn’t push him away, but she couldn’t engage. She felt like she owed it to Ned to let him love her, as irrational as that sounded in her head.

And his mouth was nice. It was soft and sensual. Ned started peeling off her clothes piece by piece while he kissed her. It was the strangest sensation; it felt as though it were happening to someone else. She was there as an observer, not a participant. 

When she was naked, he backed her up to the bed and laid her down before stripping off all of his clothes. He crawled over her, and it was all suddenly very real. She didn’t want him inside her. She wasn’t ready. 

Thankfully, he kissed down her body and settled between her legs. This wasn’t as terrifying to her. It didn’t seem so intimate when his face wasn’t in front of her. 

“Wow, Alexis. You’re beautiful,” he said, staring at her sex. He bent down and placed a kiss on her lower lips. She sucked in a breath. 

It felt wrong. It wasn’t Lorenzo. The scratch of scruffy beard was gone, the scent of his masculine body, his ferocity, his dominance, his mouth, his tongue, it was all gone.

Ned’s tongue split her pussy and licked over her clit. Her body felt pleasure, but her heart was torn apart. How unfair to Ned, how unfair to Lorenzo. 

She was so damn weak, she couldn’t tell anyone NO.

Panic started setting in, shortness of breath, pain in her chest, palpatations, dizziness. Alexis knew Ned would confuse her madness for arousal, and on one hand she was grateful he was so unaware so she wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of the truth, but on the other hand, she was so angry with him because Lorenzo would know if she wasn’t right there with him. Lorenzo knew her! Ned saw only what he wanted. What HE needed.

His mouth felt so familiar and so alien all at the same time. Or maybe it was her own body that felt that way.

Tears fell down her cheeks as his mouth pleasured her pussy. She hated herself for enjoying it, and she hated herself for not. And she hated herself most of all when orgasm came.

She couldn’t control her sobbing any longer. “Alexis?” Ned crawled over her. “Alexis, are you ok?”

She shook her head and cried, not knowing what to say. 

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” she lied through her sobs. “It’s just too much.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” Ned pulled her in his arms and cuddled her against his chest. “I should’ve waited until you were ready. I’m so sorry.” 

Alexis hated herself more for the relief of escape without really having to tell him why. She cried against his chest, lamenting that it wasn’t Lorenzo’s.

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead long into the night. Finally, he fell asleep first. When she was certain he wouldn’t wake, she sat up and looked down on her husband. 

Alexis felt like she just thoroughly abused him. He lay so quiet and peaceful. So unaware. The guilt and shame and blame he put on himself belonged to Alexis and her marital treason. But, like a coward, she let him take it.

She couldn’t do this any longer. Ned was changing. He was becoming what she needed him to be for the last two years. 

Alexis had expected her affair with Lorenzo to stay impersonal, and let the fire burn out. That when it was time to stop, it would be easy. But things between them had never been impersonal, starting with their hatred of each other. Why would she delude herself into thinking sex would take the passion out of their feelings for each other?

She needed to stop. She couldn’t do both anymore. And she owed it to Ned to give their marriage a real shot. Crying during sex with her husband because he wasn’t her lover wasn’t the way to do that. She needed to end things with Lorenzo. 

 

____________________________________

 

Alexis sat alone at the bar in the restaurant at the Palace Hotel in Llanview, Pennsylvania. She was working on a glass of pinot debating whether or not to call Lorenzo again. He was supposed to be there earlier that morning, but never showed. She called when she got out of her last meeting that afternoon, but he didn’t answer.

Alexis sat watching the news on the screen behind the bar, hoping that if something terrible happened to Lorenzo it would be a big enough ordeal to make it on the local news. 

And the racing thoughts only shot off from there. Did she read too much into their “relationship” and assume it was more than it was? Maybe he didn’t care about the concept of time the same way she did? Or courtesy? Maybe he somehow knew what happened with Ned and got pissed off again? Maybe he knew she was planning on ending things? Maybe he just didn’t want her anymore?

“Here, you look like you can use another,” said a sweet older lady with short reddish-brown hair standing behind the bar. She poured Alexis another glass. “On the house.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“If your brow was any more knotted, I’d have to find Alexander the Great to untangle that Gordian knot.”

Alexis laughed. “I don’t know that Alexander the Great can solve my problems.”

“Another man, perhaps?” The woman gave a knowing smile.

Alexis shrugged, “No man can solve my problems, but they’re certainly adept at creating them.”

Alexis’s attention was drawn back to the television screen, not by Lorenzo’s name, but someone else’s. “New York mafia kingpin, Sonny Corinthos was arrested early this morning after ATF and DEA raids on several warehouses he allegedly owned through a dummy corporation. The police have yet release to information on what was stored in the warehouses. Mr. Corinthos released a statement through his lawyer, Diane Miller.”

“Diane Miller?” said Alexis. 

“Oh, she’s a shark,” said the woman behind the bar. “I’ve seen her on television before.”

“Indeed, she is.” Alexis took out her phone and called and called Sonny’s house. It rang twice before it was picked up.

“Hello?” a snotty voice picked up the line.

“Carly? It’s Alexis.”

“I take it you just saw the news?”

“Why didn’t Sonny call me? Diane is representing him?”

“Look, Alexis, Sonny’s been acting a little strange lately. I told him about seeing you and Lorenzo at lunch last week, and he decided he didn’t want you representing him anymore since your family’s in business with the Alcazars.”

“I just spoke with Sonny a couple weeks ago. He knew about my work with Lorenzo. It didn’t bother him then.”

“Like I said, he’s been acting strange since then. Paranoid. He thinks someone close to him is leaking information. And now with his warehouses being raided, it’s just gotten worse.”

“Paranoid? Carly, has he been taking his meds?”

“He says he has, but how can anyone really know?”

“Is he still locked up?”

“No. Diane got him out on bail. Look, Alexis. I need to go. I have to get the boys to my mother’s before Sonny gets back home. I don’t want them to see him like this.”

The line went dead. Alexis shook her head wondering what the hell was going on. 

Alexis opted to skip out on her second glass of wine and go up to her room. She probably could’ve used the alcohol to calm her nerves, but she just didn’t want to be around other people. 

When Alexis opened the door to her room, she jumped in surprise. 

Lorenzo was laying on her bed fast asleep. She quietly closed the door and moved through the room by his side. The poor man; if she kept his hours, she’d have to sleep for a week to catch up.

Alexis didn’t sit because she was afraid to wake him. She was too uncertain about what the hell she wanted to say to him, so she decided let him sleep to prolong any serious discussions. 

What the hell was she was going to do? How was she going to tell him?

To make matters worse, it felt so natural having him in her bed. As if he belonged there. 

She noticed his suit was a little dirty, and his body a bit worse for the wear. There were painful looking scrapes on his knuckles and a hole in his pants. 

What on Earth happened to him? “Oh Lo,” she couldn’t help by say. 

Lorenzo shot up to a sitting position pulling a gun out of Lord knows where and aimed it at Alexis. Alexis lost her breath and her heart stood still, but otherwise didn’t move. 

“Oh, shit, Alexis. I’m sorry.” Lorenzo secured his gun and rested it on the nightstand. 

Alexis’s heart went from unmoving to racing in moments. She breathed deep to try to get her heart to calm down. “What happened to you?” she said breathless.

He shook his head as he stood up trying to orient himself from his sleep. “You don’t want to know.”

“You just pointed a gun at me. I need to know what’s going on.”

Lorenzo reached for her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. Alexis had no fight against the man. She was so relieved at seeing him, so eager to be in his arms, all she could do was press her body against his and let him hold her. She breathed him in, and all the tension of not hearing from him throughout the day drained from her body.

“I missed you,” he said. “It’s been too damn long.”

“I missed you, too. Now, fess up.”

“I will. I just want to look at you minute.” He cupped her face in his hands an gave her the sweetest smile.

“Lorenzo…” she chided.

“Fine.” He dropped his hands from her face and put them on his hips. “You’re not representing Corinthos anymore?” 

“I just found out he hired Diane Miller. He didn’t even have the decency to fire me first.”

“So, what I tell you stays between us?”

“Of course.” She’d just add it to the already staggering pile of secrets they shared.

“Corinthos lost his fucking mind in jail. When he was released on bail, he came after me. He thinks I set him up.”

Alexis looked at Lorenzo with a raised eyebrow, “And did you?”

He smirked, “Sort of.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means a couple of people approached me about helping take him down. I’ve been providing support to them for doing so, and I’ve been doing some maneuvering of my own.”

“Who are you working with?” 

“Let’s just say, someone gave me information on his illicit holdings, and I helped feed the information to government authorities I’ve had dealings with in the past.”

“When you said he ‘lost his mind,’ what did you mean?”

Lorenzo sighed, “Someone from his inner circle was betraying him and fed me the information. He thinks...In his delusions…” He cringed and hesitated.

“What?” she pushed.

“Alexis, he knows we’ve been spending time together.”

Dammit! “He thinks I gave him up to you, doesn’t he?!”

Lorenzo nodded. 

“But I’ve only dealt with his legitimate business. How could he possibly think I betrayed his trust? I didn’t know anything about illicit holdings.”

“Like I said, he’s not in his right mind.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the person sabotaging his business is also trying to sabotage the rest of his life, including his sanity.”

“Carly?”

Lorenzo nodded. “She wants Michael and Morgan to herself. You’ve done an excellent job of painting AJ Quartermaine to be an unfit parent and getting Sonny and Carly legal custody, now she’s working on doing the same to Sonny.”

“How?”

“I think she’s messed with his Bipolar medication. I know she’s whispering in his ear, feeding his paranoia.”

“So he thinks I’m working with you because Carly planted the idea in his unstable head?!”

“That sounds about right.”

Alexis hit Lorenzo in the chest, “How could you work with her to set me up?”

“I didn’t know she was setting you up until today. My job was to tell the authorities what I knew, then all the sudden, Corinthos comes after me while I’m getting ready to come see you. He brought Jason and a bunch of his guys to storm to my house. He was ranting about you and I having an affair, and saying we were teaming up to take him down so the Quartermaines could get custody of Michael.”

“He stormed your house? What happened?”

“We were able to fight them off. That’s what took me so long to get here; I had to wait awhile before I left. I didn’t want to put you at risk if I was followed.”

“What if Sonny comes here for me? If he’s not in his right mind...”

Lorenzo shook his head. “I’ve got people all over this hotel, and I’ve got eyes on Sonny and Jason. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Alexis.”

Alexis eyed the gun on the nightstand. She wasn’t so adverse to it being there any longer. 

He sighed. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess.”

“You’re working with Edward, too?”

Lorenzo nodded. “The ELQ property I’m obtaining is meant to help phase out Sonny’s legitimate businesses in Port Charles. My company and ELQ have been working on running Corinthos Coffee into the ground. I’ll save you details on how we’ve been cutting off his supply chain.” Alexis could make her own assumptions. Lorenzo continued, “The warehouses I’ve been purchasing are going to be used to store Venezuela’s finest coffee beans to supply a demand that a weakened Corinthos Coffee won’t be able to support.”

Suspicion colored her voice, “Why would you have me handle the transaction?”

Lorenzo answered with caution, “Edward thought Sonny would fire you for working with me. He didn’t like you helping Sonny with Michael.”

Alexis stepped up to Lorenzo and slapped him. 

“I deserve that,” he said, rubbing his cheek. “But that damn left hand.”

“You know, Carly and Sonny both warned me about working with you.”

“Don’t listen to their warnings. Carly was setting you up, and Sonny’s a criminal. He’s just as responsible for your sister’s death as my brother.”

“Don’t justify scheming with my life or minimize your role in all this!”

“Alexis, I didn’t do anything to scheme against you! I didn’t know Carly was setting you up. And you agreed to work with me knowing Sonny wouldn’t like it. It’s not like I ever hid my animosity for the man.”

“You should’ve told me Edward was using me against him!”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

A nasty thought passed through her mind, but she was so anxious, she couldn’t filter it the way she intended. “Has this all been one huge set up for you? One giant revenge plot?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everything. All of it. Using Edward, Carly, and me to get to Sonny? It’s perfect for you, really. You get to destroy Sonny and Carly’s marriage, dismantle Sonny’s business, destroy my life and my marriage, and as icing on the cake, you get to break my heart and scatter it into a million little pieces.”

“Stop, Alexis.” Lorenzo grabbed her arms. “Stop!”

“No, you stop!”

He kissed her hard. She tried pushing him back, be he held firm. She pounded on his chest and pulled away. 

“I’ve risked everything for you!” she yelled. “I’ve wrecked my marriage for you! And you were working with Carly and Edward the whole time!”

He pulled her back into him. “Alexis, look at me! Look at me!”

She stared into his gorgeous, blue eyes, alight with fear and need. 

“Baby, you have to know I don’t want to hurt you. You believed me when I told you I don’t blame you for Luis anymore.”

“But...” She knew she had more protest in her somewhere. She looked down at his feet to avoid those eyes and think of why she needed to push him away. She realized it had nothing to do with what he was saying, and everything to do with the ring on her finger.

“I didn’t know Carly was setting you up, princess. I would’ve never let that happen if I knew what she was doing. Look at me, dammit!” he gave her a shake.

She looked to his pained eyes again. She saw him so clearly. So authentically. When she looked in his eyes, there was no way believe he was using her to get to Sonny. Not with what they shared together. 

What they had was more than some silly vendetta. So much more.

She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His answering embrace lifted her feet off the ground. 

“You believe me?” he asked against her lips. 

She nodded. Of course she did.

“Thank God. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this. I’m so sorry.” Lorenzo traced kisses along the side of her face.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe what’s going on between us is real,” she said.

“You can’t possibly think this is something that can be faked? Do you really think there’s a way to manufacture feelings like this?”

She shook her head. No, she didn’t think so. Everything she felt was too damn raw. 

“Tell me,” he said, raining gentle kisses on her lips. “Tell me you know this is real? Tell me you know this means something to me.”

“I know it does,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. “This wasn’t supposed to be so damn real. But it is. I know it is.”

His lips covered hers and he kissed her senseless, making her forget all the reasons she decided to end things with him last night. He sighed in relief when their lips parted and she had no more protestations. 

Lorenzo pulled her to the bed with him. They lay together more emotionally drained than physically. She rested her head on his arm and snuggled into him. They stared into each other’s eyes. His eyes held the sweetest affection for her. It was hard to imagine they were the same eyes that radiated all that murderous hostility for so many years. 

“Why is it like this with you?” she asked, trying to understand some piece of what was going on between them.

“You’re falling in love with me,” he stated as though it was a fact she just needed to accept.

“Love can be a lot of different things, Lorenzo...” she interjected.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

“How can this be love? Us of all people.”

“We’re the same, Alexis. You and I, we’re different from everyone else. They can’t SEE us, not like we see them.” Lorenzo stroked her hair behind her ears. “People who see need to be seen, too. Ned doesn’t see you, not like I do.” 

She got it. She understood. “Sometimes I feel like no one else has a clue who I am.”

“Because you can’t fabricate the depth of understanding between us. We’re cut from the same cloth.”

“I just don’t know what do about it.” Tears filled her eyes thinking of Ned.

“This thing we have going...it’s precious to me, Alexis. I can’t lose this. I won’t allow it. The only thing for us to do is accept it.”

Alexis cringed. She needed to tell him the truth. “Lorenzo...I was going to...Before you got here, I was planning to end this…”

“No,” he said firm and quiet, as though his will could stop it from happening. “I won’t let you end us.”

“I can’t. I wanted to, but I can’t.”

“Why would you want to?” She could hear the hurt in his voice.

“You know why. I’m married. Ned is my family.”

“Your family treats you terribly.”

“He’s trying to do better. He knows he messed up. And he’s not the only one to blame for what’s happened in our marriage.” 

“You don’t blame yourself, do you?” Lorenzo rolled his eyes. “What am I talking about? Of course you do. And of course he’d let you.”

Alexis sat up. “Believe it or not, Lo, there are things you don’t know about my relationship with Ned.”

“Like what?”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to get into it about Luis again.

“Tell me,” he said. “I won’t stop until you tell me.”

Alexis looked down at his glittering, blue eyes, such beautiful pools of comfort she could so easily fall into. 

“I lied to Ned about being sick. I made him believe I had DID when I killed Luis. It changed everything between us.”

Lorenzo grumbled. “You being sick changed everything? I’d never let a silly mental illness get between us, Alexis.”

“It wasn’t the illness. It was the lie.”

“Well, I’d never let you lie to me. I’d see through it.”

She knew that was true. “Anyway, I convinced Ned, just like I convinced the court. And when the truth came out, he was hurt. It took him a long time to let it go.”

“How long?”

“We talked about it yesterday.”

Lorenzo sat up next to her in irritation. “So one nice little conversation with ol’ Ned, and you were ready to run away from me?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like?”

Alexis gave a shuddering breath. She didn’t know how to tell him. “It wasn’t just a conversation…”

“Jesus Christ,” he said. He stood up from the bed and walked to the mini bar. He poured himself a shot of whiskey. Alexis watched him drink it back before his eyes returned to her. “Did you fuck him?”

“Lo…” she sighed. God she didn’t want to hurt him.

He nodded and poured the bottle into his mouth, then he threw the glass against the wall, shattering it across the floor. Alexis jumped at the sound of the crash.

“What did he do to you?” he quietly demanded. “Tell me how he fucked you.”

She stood and walked close to him. She wanted to console him, but part of her was afraid of his anger. “Don’t. Don’t do this.”

“I need you to tell me how he fucked you.”

“Why? Why would you want those images in your head? No good could come of that.”

“That’s for me to decide. Tell me what he did to you.” He took another drink from the bottle and set it down.

“It’s none of your business,” she said.

He stepped forward and grabbed her. “The hell it isn’t. You’re going to tell me every way he touched you, because I’m going to do the exact same thing and erase every bit of that fucking memory from your body. I’m going to show you what we have is better than anything that asshole can give you.”

“You don’t think I already know that? You don’t think when his mouth was on me, I wasn’t wishing it was you? That it’s so much better with you? All I could think was my marriage is never going to work if I keep letting you do what you do to me because he’ll never live up to you.”

As though he didn’t hear anything else, Lorenzo said, “That’s what he did to you? He put his mouth on you?”

“Stop, please.”

“Where?”

“Stop.”

“Tell me where? Your mouth? Your tits? Your cunt? Tell me, goddammit!”

“Lorenzo...”

He crushed his mouth down on hers. She pushed him away. “I said stop! I don’t want you like this!”

“I need this!” he said with a hand grabbing her arm. “I need to fuck him out of you!”

“Didn’t you hear me? Everything he did to me was about you! He’s not in me anymore, Lorenzo! You are!”

His grip softened, and he let out a rattling breath. She could see his eyes turning red.

“When I was with him, I felt like I owed him a chance to make our marriage work. But when I’m with you, I realize...I know the only real thing in world is you and me. And I don’t want him. I want you.”

He closed his eyes, and Alexis could see his jaw twitching. “Tell me again.”

“I want you, Lorenzo. I want you.” She rubbed her hands across his chest and around his waist. His strong body was an immovable force, so she melded herself into him. She looked up to find him watching her. “I love you, Lo.”

This time she let him seal his mouth over hers. His tongue dipped in with purpose, with meaning, and she knew he was still trying to erase Ned. She let him. He needed to do it, and maybe Alexis needed to feel it.

Lorenzo undressed her as they kissed, then he carried her to bed. The way he kissed her...she felt worshiped. Down her neck and to her breasts, his mouth moved with reverent adoration. He sucked up her nipples in his mouth and massaged her plump flesh. Then down her stomach to her pussy, where he lavished her again and again. 

“Your body is mine, dammit. Mine.” He sucked up her clit. “If he touches you again, I’ll kill him. I don’t care if he thinks he’s your husband.”

She didn’t want anyone else touching her again. 

Lorenzo made her scream out his name when she came, and this time, the tears were for how badly she wanted him again. 

He got up on his knees and towered over her. He stared down at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. When he pushed inside her, she pulled him down on top of her. She needed to feel his body on hers, his comforting weight. She needed to feel his muscles moving against her skin. He made love to her sweet and slow, drawing it out, delaying climax. 

“You’re mine, Alexis. You’re mine,” he growled. 

She nodded, knowing it was true. He brought her to orgasm before he let himself go, giving her a chance to watch him fall apart. And she knew, whatever ownership he had of her, she had of him, and more.

Lorenzo slept soundly for hours in her arms. His big body recovering from too much strain. Alexis felt sleepy, but her thoughts wouldn’t stop racing. The only solace for her worry of breaking Ned’s heart was the feel of Lorenzo’s thick hair and soft skin under her hands, and his rhythmic breathing on her chest. 

Just as Alexis was falling asleep, Lorenzo’s breathing shifted. She waited silently for him to drift back to sleep, but minutes passed by with no change. His body remained relaxed, but she knew his thoughts were on the move.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked, stroking his short hair.

“I should ask the same of you.”

“I’m enjoying the man in my arms. I think it’s cute how he’s drooling on my chest.”

“Keep teasing me, and that won’t be the only fluid I leave on your tits.”

She chuckled quietly and kissed his forehead. “What were you thinking about?”

He paused only a moment before he said, “You. Your sister. My brother.”

Alexis sighed deep. “Those are unpleasant thoughts.”

“Are they?”

“Are they not?”

Lorenzo pulled himself up into a sitting position and stretched his back. Alexis sat up with him, curious about where his mind had gone.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her into a straddle over his lap. He bent his knees so she could rest her back on his legs. His hands explored her body sitting astride him, but she could see his thoughts quietly racing. “Tell me about your sister?” he asked.

The question took her off guard. She never thought to ask him about his brother. She didn’t think he’d appreciate it for starters. And she really didn’t want to humanize her murder victim. “What do you want to know?”

“What was she like?”

Alexis smiled. “Free. Unburdened.”

“Not like you?”

“Not at all like me.”

“What else?”

“Hopeful, optimistic, funny, full of potential. Her spirit was...innocent.”

“Do you ever think about her and remember just the good? Or is it always tainted by Luis?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because...since we started this...I can remember some of the good without poisoning it with the bad. Ever since he died, anytime I had a memory of him, it was tainted with thoughts of…”

“Me?” she finished.

He nodded. “But now that I’ve let it go, I can think of the good without it hurting so much.” He moved his attention to her eyes. “How about you?”

“The memories are always tainted, but rarely by Luis.”

He knotted his brow. “What do you mean? What taints them?”

“Me. My family. Kristina would be happy and alive without us in her life. No Stavros or Helena after her. No casualty of a mob war. Just Kristina finding love and adventure wherever she went.”

“You blame yourself for her death?”

Alexis nodded. “She went to see Sonny to tell him to stay away from me. She shouldn’t have been there.”

“That’s why you haven’t moved on?” he said as though it was some major revelation. 

She shrugged. “If you were responsible for your brother’s death, would you forgive yourself?”

“Probably not. But I’d find a way to move on.”

“Well, I’m struggling with my guilt over her death. It’s hard to let go. I think that’s perfectly reasonable.”

“Alexis, you don’t just feel guilty for her death, you feel guilty for having a life.”

Alexis nodded. “I put Sonny in my life, and she paid for it. I don’t deserve to be alive when she’s dead.”

Lorenzo shook his head, “God. So, that’s why you stopped living? That’s why you let the Quartermaines take everything important from you.”

“Except Sonny. I fought to keep him.”

“Why?”

“Maybe to remind myself of who I am, and what I did.”

“Oh, princess.” Lorenzo pulled her close and held her. “I’m not going to let you miss out on your life because of her death. I don’t think she’d want that.”

“It’s a shame, isn’t it? She gave her life for me, and I’m squandering mine.” Tears threatened to fall.

“Not anymore. Never again, baby. You’re choosing life now. With me.”

She sucked in a breath. It was a scary thought. 

She just wished that in order to live her own life, she wouldn’t have to ruin Ned's.


	8. Mommy Issues

Mommy Issues

_______________________________

 

A black limo pulled up in front of the school district office. Alexis rolled her eyes at how excessive the chauffeured ride was, especially when she was there to do charity work. She never flaunted the Quartermaine money when she was doing foundation work, except to give it to people who needed it more than she needed things like a limo.

But Lorenzo insisted it was about her safety as much as her comfort. A guard jumped out of the front seat before the limo stopped moving to get the door for Alexis. When she crouched to step inside, a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her in. She yelped and heard a playful, rumbling laugh as she landed in a familiar pair of arms.

She was being kissed before she oriented herself to which way was up. But with those lips on her, it didn’t matter anymore. A lightheaded buzzing stole over her brain. They kissed and kissed, and she didn’t even realize when the limo started moving. 

“How’d it go, princess?” he mumbled between kisses.

“How’d what go?” Was there anything else in the world besides Lorenzo? Especially in Llanview, separated from everything that made this so illicit.

“Your meetings.”

“I think they were productive, but I can’t remember my own name at the moment.”

“Let me remind you.” He kissed her lips and said, “Princess…” he kissed her chin… “Alexis…” her throat… “Natasha…” her chest… “Cassadine…” he pulled aside the fabric of her dress to expose her breast… “Davis.” 

She didn’t think it was a good idea to remind him of the Ashton part of her identity when his tongue was doing such nice things to her. He knew reality anyway, he just refused to accept it. His short hair was soft between her fingers as she pulled his mouth harder against her chest.

She was disappointed when he pulled his head up to ask, “Hungry?”

“Clearly.” She wasn’t talking about food, though she probably should be as she couldn’t remember the last full meal she’d eaten. 

“I’ve been asking where we can find good, local food. Someone told me about a place that serves the best flan in Pennsylvania.”

Alexis couldn’t care less about flan when she was in Lorenzo’s arms. She pulled out her other breast to present to him. He watched her with hungry eyes. “You were saying about the flan?” she teased.

“Breast in the state apparently.” His mouth dropped and sucked on that one, too. He took long pulls on her nipple, hitting some direct pleasure pathway to her sex.

“I didn’t realize Pennsylvania was a hub for Latin American dessert...oh!” She squirmed when he nipped at the tight bud.

“I need you fed, nourished, and rested to keep up with me tonight.” He lifted his head to look in her eyes. “You hardly slept last night.”

“I was busy,” she laughed, memories of really good sex played through her mind.

“Even when weren’t fucking.” His face dropped in concern. “You were awake every time I woke up.”

She shrugged. There was no stopping her guilt over Ned that spun her wheels all night, and the excruciating anxiety about leaving him was tempered only by touching Lorenzo’s warm body or listening to him breathe deep and slow. 

“I was a little tired today,” she admitted. There were a few times she had to force herself not to nod off during the administrator’s presentation. Strange, though, she wasn’t usually that exhausted after a couple restless nights. Maybe the sex was wearing her out more than she realized. “But it was so nice waking up to you.”

Alexis remembered his glittering eyes smiling down at her with a cup of coffee in hand. 

A grin spread across his face. “It was nice, wasn’t it?” She knew he was thinking about the other “stimulant” he gave her after the coffee.

She squirmed in his lap. “I could get used to mornings like that.”

He stroked her hair, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to mornings like that.”

She pulled him back down and kissed him again. Who could’ve possibly known an Alcazar could be so sweet?

“I love you,” he said, grinning like a man relieved of the burden of inhibition. Like the words were something he NEEDED to say, and now he could whenever he wanted.

“I love you, too.” She accepted her love for him was real. It wasn’t the kind of love that came from years of long friendship, like with Ned; it was that untried, untested, but worth-risking-everything-for kind of love. She’d never felt that way before. She didn’t feel like she any right to, not just because of her marriage to another man, but because she really didn’t know Lorenzo well enough to care so much about him. It wasn’t rational.

But it was still real. Others might call it infatuation, lust, or being enamored. And she didn’t deny those factors were present, but it was something about the culmination of those factors, with an attachment inspiring some sort of wild abandon that made her accept it was some kind of LOVE.

She had plenty of time ahead of her to get to learn and love the rest of him.

The way Lorenzo looked her, though. She knew he felt something different for her. Something additional. Something deeper than she understood. She wondered if it was a cultural, maybe even spiritual, type of thing. Maybe it was just that obsessive quality he talked about.

Alexis thought of Luis’s obsession with Brenda, and her stomach flipped. She pushed the thought away. Luis was a very different man than Lorenzo.

“What are you thinking?” he asked. “I can see your wheels turning.”

“I’m just wondering about this man is I’ve fallen for.” She traced his lips with her finger.

“You know me, Alexis.”

“I know pieces of you.”

“You’ve seen my darkness, my cruelty.”

She nodded. “And you’ve seen mine.”

“My curiosity about you is endless, princess. I want to know every bit of you.”

“That goes both ways, you know.”

He sat her up in his lap and fixed her dress. “Ask me anything.”

“Carte blanche?”

He frowned in consideration. “I don’t think there’s anything you could ask that I wouldn’t share at this point. What do you want to know?”

An enormous list unscrolled in her head. But whatever he said about being an open book, she didn’t think any man could stand up to such an inquisition. 

“Go ahead, Alexis,” she could hear the indulgent smile in his voice.

“I was wondering about those mommy issues you hinted at.”

“Hmm,” he huffed a quick laugh. “Right to the meat of it, huh?”

She shrugged, “Only if you’re ready…”

He chuckled, “It’s fine. What do you want to know?”

“What you didn’t tell me before.”

“I think the context of our conversation was about Ned’s mother castrating him?”

She laughed, “Did your mother castrate you, too?”

A sharp pinch on her ass gave her an answer. 

“Ouch! I’m kidding. I’m kidding.” 

Lorenzo sighed heavily, “No, she didn’t castrate me. Quite the opposite.”

“What exactly is the opposite?”

He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair as he talked. “She indulged me. I was her favorite, of course. My father, who I loved and feared with equal intensity, was more interested in his first-born son…”

Alexis interjected, “But you were twins, he couldn’t have been more than a few hours or minutes older than you. That’s completely irrational.”

Lorenzo laughed sadly at her apparent naivety. “I appreciate your indignation at my father’s negligence, but your point doesn’t hold up in my culture, princess. The first born is the first born, no matter how minuscule the gap. And, I’d imagine your family, with their royal bloodlines, would understand better than most.”

She nodded. “So, your brother was the heir apparent.”

“Exactly. The business would be his. I was meant to help in any way he needed, but I didn’t require much in the way of time or attention being the second son.”

Alexis thought of Stefan and Stavros, and remembered their upbringing to be much the same. “So, how did you become a history major?”

“Idealistic rebellion. Though, the untimely deaths of my parents ruined any pleasure in that rebellion.”

And Luis’s death, she didn’t say. “So your mother indulged you and your father favored Luis?”

He nodded and chewed on the inside of his cheek as his eyes glazed over watching memories play in his mind. 

“What issues did an indulgent mother give you?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t call it indulgence. Or maybe I should. I don’t really know…” He paused a moment trying to get his thoughts together. As she sat waiting for him to answer, the limo pulled to a stop. When the driver opened the door, Lorenzo lifted a finger to let him know they’d be a minute. The driver closed the door and gave them their privacy. Alexis saw they were parked in a lot outside a restaurant called the Buenos Dias Cafe.

“My mother was a...reluctant...bride, if you understand what I’m saying.”

“She was forced to marry your father?”

He nodded. “Under significant duress. But my father decided he wanted her, and he wouldn’t let a silly notion like consent get in the way.”

“Why her?”

Lorenzo scoffed, “She was youthful, submissive, deferential, attractive, and she had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.”

“Blue eyes?”

He nodded.

“But she didn’t want to marry him?”

He shook his head, “He forced her by threatening her family. He no longer needed the threat after she had his sons. She stayed to do what she could to protect us, to counterbalance his influence on us.”

“How did your father treat her?” 

Lorenzo shook his head in disgust. “Considering the marriage and consummation thereof was coerced, how do you think he treated her? He was erratic, hot tempered, abusive, and controlling. So, when I say she was indulgent to me, it may be that she was just too submissive to tell me ‘no.’ A state of learned helplessness.” 

Alexis thought of Laura and Stavros...of Nikolas torn between the two...“Did you walk all over her like your father did?”

He shook his head. “Rarely. Less so as I got older. With a father and brother who treated her, and women in general, as possessions, assets, and trivialities, I spent most of my youth trying to protect her. Be a buffer for her.”

Her hand stroked his face, “Is that why you take such good care of me? Repeating old patterns?”

“Maybe, but…” he rubbed a hand over hers and knotted his forehead like he was suffering from some sort of internal struggle.

“What?”

He looked coldly at her with his mother’s blue eyes. “That’s not the only pattern I have compulsions to repeat with you.”

“Oh?”

His hands went to either side of her face and held her firm. “I fluctuate between wanting to free you from the controlling grasp of the Quartermaines, to stealing you away to Venezuela and forcing you to marry me and bear me brown-eyed sons.”

Her mouth dropped. It wasn’t the first time he’d said something like that to her. And she’d known then Luis’s history of kidnapping and poisoning Brenda out of “love” for her. But hearing it in the context of what his father did to his mother gave life to the words in a way they lacked before. 

A chill ran down her spine. But more disturbing than his admitted impulse, was the arousal it stoked deep in her core. No, it was more than arousal...it was NEED.

“You think you have it in you to do something like that to me?” she asked.

He brought his face close to hers grazing his lips across her cheek. “I fight off the compulsion constantly.”

“And what do you visualize doing to me? Tying me up and having your way with me?”

His hands tightened in her hair and his chest gave off a low, animalistic rumble. His eyes met hers and flashed with the fiercest desire. He didn’t need to say anything more for confirmation.

She thought of being tied up and fucked by Lorenzo. Her mouth went dry when she lost her breath. She licked her lips and said, “If you want that, all you have to do is ask.”

His vibrant, blues flared as he processed her words, then gravity upended and she was on her back on the floor of the limo. His mouth slammed against hers, knocking the wind out of her. One hand had both hers pinned above her head, while the other was fighting off clothes for his cock to meet her pussy. She helped him by shifting her hips when he lifted her dress, and she squirmed to get her panties off. They were still hanging off one leg when he pushed inside her with a loud, vicious growl.

“Lo!” she screamed in his ear, grateful his obsessive dominance was such a turn on for her. She was slick and ready for him, and even still, his thick cock stretched her painfully. But her hips met his stroke for stroke. She wanted him inside her. She wanted him controlling her body.

“You’re going to make me lose my mind, woman!” he grunted pounding into her. “You have no fucking idea what your words do to me. You have no idea what’s inside me.”

Alexis thought of her psychotic family. “I know better than anyone.” It didn’t make her want him any less. She knew how fucked up that was, but it didn’t dampen her feelings in the slightest.

He banged her hard and raw on the floor, the friction of the head of his cock thrusting in and out, making her quiver, making her jolt, until she screamed his name one more time. He kept fucking as she squeezed him and shook and shivered beneath him. 

And when he came, grunting, huffing, and thrusting into her, she felt a euphoric satisfaction completely devoid of rational worry or concern for what she had gotten herself into.

He didn’t let her hands go when he was done. He kept them pinned above her head in a tight grip while the rest of his body lay sated and relaxed on top of her. His mouth kissed her between panting breaths.

Soon, her oxygen was running out from his weight. She tried to pull out her hands for leverage to get some air, but he wouldn’t budge. She noticed she was sweating all over her body and feelings of panic bubbled in her chest. She forced herself to remain calm. “Are you going to let me up?” she asked.

“When I’m good and ready,” he rumbled in her ear before kissing down her neck.

“I’m getting hungry,” she said, hoping to appeal to the caretaker rather than the kidnapper. “I haven’t eaten since...” she tried to remember when. 

“They didn’t feed you?” he said harshly. “You’re throwing how much money at them, and they couldn’t bring you a sandwich?”

She laughed. “I chose to work through lunch. Now get off me so I can try the best flan in the state.”

He kissed her deep before pulling her up with him. He cleaned her up and helped her fix her clothes. As he was buckling his pants, Alexis asked, “So is that the secret to pulling you out of your obsessive madness? Asking you to take care of me?”

He smiled and shrugged, “Maybe. Are you trying to figure out how to tame me, princess?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m trying to figure out how to survive you. If you’re anything like my family, I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

He smiled and pulled her into his arms. “I promise you, Alexis. My need to care for you is stronger than my need to control you. I might lose it now and again, but I’m not stupid enough to do anything that would really push you away. Becoming my father, becoming Luis, would be a surefire way to lose you, all the while scratching and clawing to pull you close.”

“You’re not them, Lorenzo. You’re different than they are. You might have some similar desires, but you’re better than them. You love me. They didn’t know how to love.”

Lorenzo kissed her cheek indulgently. “Come. Let’s get you something to eat. If I would’ve known how neglected you’ve been, I would’ve had food delivered during your meeting.”

Lorenzo stepped out of the limo and reached a hand back to her. She grasped it and pulled herself out of the vehicle. As she stood, the world started spinning. Her head felt light and airy, seeming as if it was inflating, and impossible to keep still. Her vision blurred until darkness overtook the light.

She heard a faint echo, “Alexis?!” And a pair of arms wrapped around her as she fell.

________________________________________

 

She woke to the comforting scent of Lorenzo. A large, warm body was wrapped around her, stroking her cheeks and raining kisses on her forehead.

“Lo?” she asked before she opened her eyes.

“I’m here, baby. Are you ok? How’re you feeling?”

She forced her eyelids open. Lorenzo was eyeing her with concern. They were in a dark, hospital room. One she was unfamiliar with. It wasn’t GH. “What happened?”

“You were dehydrated and your blood sugar was low. The doctor said you should be just fine.”

“Low sugar? I’m not diabetic. I don’t take insulin.”

“You can’t live on coffee,” he chided. “When was the last time you ate?”

Alexis realized she hadn’t had a proper meal for over twenty-four hours. A glass of wine, coffee...that was it.

Lorenzo unwrapped himself from around her and stood up. “I’m going to call the nurse to come check on you.”

Lorenzo kissed her on the forehead before walking out the door. Alexis took a deep breath and looked around the room trying to orient herself. She forced herself into a sitting position, and the lightheadedness came back. She’d have to be more careful with how she moved.

“No, Mr. Alcazar, I’m afraid I have to insist you go to the waiting room while I check on Ms. Ashton. I’ll call you back in after she’s able to give me consent to talk to you.”

Alexis smiled, afraid that if she laughed, she might have another dizzy spell.

The nurse stood by the door and watched to make sure Lorenzo left the hall. When all was clear, she came in the room and smiled at Alexis. “Ms. Ashton, it’s nice to see you up and well. My name is Sara.”

“Hi, Sara.”

The nurse started taking vitals and checking the bags of fluids hanging next to her bed. 

“Much better. Much, much better,” she mumbled to herself as she took notes. “How are you feeling?”

“A little lightheaded. Hungry. Thirsty.”

“I’ll have some food brought right up. Here is your water.” Sara pushed a table on wheels close to the bed that held a pitcher of ice water and a cup. Alexis took the cup and sucked deep on the straw. She could feel the cold water running down to her stomach and absorbing into her bloodstream.

“Lorenzo said I was dehydrated and my blood sugar was low? How is that possible? I’m not diabetic.”

“Well, it’s not too uncommon for a pregnant woman to drop sugar like you did when they haven’t eaten in awhile.”

Alexis grabbed the woman’s arm, “Excuse me. What?”

Sara’s face went from worried to sympathetic. “You didn’t know?”

“Pregnant?”

The woman nodded. 

“How far along?”

The nurse shrugged, “I don’t know. Your blood work showed elevated HCG and the doctor was able to find a heartbeat on the Doppler, so you have to be more than five and half or six weeks. Obviously, you could be farther along than that. When was your last menstrual period?”

Alexis thought back. “I don’t know. I’m irregular; I rarely keep track. Maybe around New Year’s?”

The nurse nodded. “That would put you at about six weeks, give or take.”

“Shit,” she said under her breath. Lorenzo was the father. Obviously. She’d had several periods since the last time she had sex with Ned. “Shit.” Her chest felt as though it was about to explode.

“I’m guessing this wasn’t planned?”

Alexis shook her head. 

“Why don’t I get the doctor in here? They can talk to you about options?”

“I know my options.” A baby? Alexis never thought she’d have a baby. She and Ned hadn’t used protection since long before they were married and nothing ever happened. She started being irregular with her periods and figured early menopause was coming. 

A baby. Her hand dropped to her stomach. A strange feeling washed over her from head to toe. A worried warmth. A need to nurture and protect. 

Where the hell did that come from?

“I’m guessing Mr. Alcazar doesn’t know either?” asked Sara.

Alexis shook her head.

“Would you like him to come in?”

“After I see the doctor. I’m not ready to tell him quite yet.”

Sara patted her arm in consolation, though Alexis wished she would just give her space. “He’s the father?”

Alexis nodded.

“Just so you know, Ms. Ashton, he was worried sick about you. He carried you into the ER in his arms and demanded we take care of you immediately. He’s been by your side the entire time, except when the doctor kicked him out.”

Alexis caressed her belly. Lorenzo’s baby was in there. Lorenzo’s. A part of her loved the idea.

But most of her was horrified. It was Lorenzo Alcazar’s baby. Mob kingpin. 

Kristina’s dead body in the wreckage of his brother’s bomb flashed across her mind.

She couldn’t share a baby with the man running Luis’s business. The man who looked just like him! If she felt guilt for Kristina’s death, what kind of guilt would she suffer if she brought a baby into that kind of world?

She didn’t call for Lorenzo to be brought back in the room as she waited for the doctor. She needed to steel herself for when she saw his face again. She couldn’t show her fear. But if she couldn’t hide it, maybe he would mistake it’s origin.

Her visit with the doctor gave her little more information. She scheduled a follow up with her OB/GYN for when she got back to Port Charles. The only thing there was to do until then was to decide if she was going to have the baby.

This could be her only shot at motherhood...But at what cost to the little one?

As her thoughts continued spinning, the door shoved open. Lorenzo stood there with a look of concern. She sucked in a breath, unprepared to see him so soon.

Surprisingly, Alexis couldn’t help but smile at his worry for her. To be cared for so much was an intoxicating feeling.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

She nodded, “Just like you said, I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar. I just need to take better care of myself.”

“I’ll make sure you do.” He walked to the bed. “When can I get you out of here?”

“Soon. I just need to find my clothes and wait for the paperwork.”

Lorenzo stepped to a cabinet on the wall to her left and pulled out a bag that held her clothes. He put them on the side table and sat down next to her. She noticed his jaw tremble and moisture filled his eyes. “I was worried about you, princess.”

“I’m sorry.”

His large hand cupped her face from chin to temple. “It was an ugly feeling in my gut, that I just started this with you, and it might end so soon. I won’t lose you, Alexis. And I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of, because I’m not going to lose you to anyone or anything.”

Now she was the one trembling. “What is this thing we started together, Lorenzo?”

“A life together.”

“And what does that mean?”

He shrugged and smiled, “I don’t have all the details worked out yet, I’m sure you’ll want some input, but I was thinking it was about sharing all the important stuff. Our thoughts, our bed, our things, our hearts.”

Our baby? she thought to herself. Instead, she said, “Our problems, our fears, our insecurities?”

“Those, too. Like I said, nothing is going to come between us. Nothing is going to take you away from me.”

And nothing inside her could allow her to bring a baby into a world where such a dangerous man was at her center. 

But could she end her only hope at ever becoming a mother?

She had to choose, motherhood or life with Lorenzo. There was no other option.

As Lorenzo kissed her softly and stared with his glittering, blue eyes, she couldn’t imagine a life without him. And if she chose to have this baby, she couldn’t imagine Lorenzo letting her keep it from him.

Her choice was becoming clear.


	9. Ambivalence

Ambivalence

_______________________________

 

He stood looking over her as she lay in bed back at the hotel. Alexis asked for his undershirt to lay around in, so his gorgeous bare chest was on display. He wore nothing but his slacks from earlier in the day. She ate up the view and made plans for how she’d indulge herself in him when he came close enough to get her hands on him.

“Am I smothering you like an old mother hen?” asked Lorenzo.

Alexis made a show of looking around at the half dozen trays of food and drink he brought up to the room and giggled. 

“I’m sorry,” he laughed at himself. “I just want to make sure you have access to anything you want.”

“You don’t need to apologize, it’s nice being mothered by such an attentive hen. It’s sweet. Unnecessary, but sweet.”

Lorenzo picked up a plate and a fork from one of the trays and sat next to her on the bed. She noticed caramel covered custard was in the center. 

“You deserve to be mothered. You’ve been neglected,” he said.

Alexis tried to remember the last time someone took care of her so attentively. Ned, maybe a little at the beginning. Jax, sort of. Her own mother, not enough.

“What’s that face?” He ran a finger down her cheek. She hadn’t realized she was frowning.

“I was just thinking of my mother. I didn’t get much of a chance to be mothered by her.”

Lorenzo brought the flan to her lips. She opened her mouth and let him feed her. It was chilled and creamy. She let the sweet flavor sit on her tongue and let it melt while she watched him take a bite. He sighed deep and contented; she could see his tongue moving the dessert around his mouth. She wanted to be that damn flan.

“How is it?” she asked. “As good as back home?”

He smiled and swallowed. “We don’t make flan back home. We make quesillo. It’s a little firmer in texture. Don’t tell anyone, but I prefer flan, though I’d like it better warm.” He gave her another bite. “Tell me about your mom, what you remember of being mothered by her.”

Alexis smiled softly as she swallowed the custard. She reached for her water on the nightstand and pulled her thoughts together as she took a sip. “She was lovely.”

“That’s a given,” he said, his eyes glittering as they looked at her.

“I remember her dressed up to sing—I don’t remember if I told you she was an opera singer?—and thinking I was the daughter of a princess.” Alexis scoffed. “Never did I see my father as prince charming, and yet he was the real prince.”

“Your father wasn’t charming?”

She shook her head, “Not to me. He was cold and distant.”

“Unlike your mother?”

She nodded, “She was the epitome of warmth and affection.” Never had Alexis felt so safe and loved than in her mother’s arms.

Lorenzo smiled, “My mother was, too. My father not much different from yours. I’d always hoped to give different to my own children, but I never got a chance.”

Alexis made a determined effort not to rub a hand over her stomach and bring attention to the ‘chance’ he was so wistful about. “We’re more similar than I ever anticipated,” she said.

He gave her another bite and asked, “Why didn’t you have kids?”

She shrugged. “It’s not something I wanted in my twenties or early thirties. And Ned and I haven’t exactly tried NOT to have children. It just wasn’t in the cards.”

“How do you feel about that?”

Her hand stopped listening to her brain and caressed her lower abdomen. “I try not to think about it, to be honest.”

“Why?”

“Because I think I’ll project my desperate desire to have a relationship with my mother onto a relationship with my baby.”

Lorenzo’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”

“And…” Alexis hesitated.

“And what?”

She looked away; for some reason, she didn’t want to see those eyes absorbing everything she said. “And, I had a baby at sixteen that my father put up for adoption. I’m afraid I’ll try to live out my fantasy of motherhood of my lost baby with the future one.”

Lorenzo lifted her chin so her eyes couldn’t avoid his. “Would that be so terrible? To have the mother-child relationship you never got with your mom or your first baby?”

A rush of tears filled her eyes. It must’ve been the hormones, because talk of babies never got her emotional. “I don’t know. It sounds like a lot of pressure on the little one, to be all those relationships for me all at once.”

Lorenzo nodded, “I’ve thought about that, raising Diego vicariously through another child. It doesn’t sound fair to either child.”

“I guess we’d have to keep ourselves in check. Our baby wouldn’t be Diego, nor my first daughter, nor even myself as a child.”

His mouth lifted at the corner, “Our baby?”

Alexis flushed. “You know what I mean...If either of us ever had babies at some point.”

She grabbed the fork from his hand and ate a bite of flan. When she looked back at Lorenzo, he was still smiling at her. “Stop,” she said.

He only smiled bigger. 

He’d want this baby if he knew, Alexis was certain.

She lifted a bite of flan to his mouth. He let her feed him, the grin never leaving his face. She wondered what he was picturing in his head. Then again, maybe she didn’t want to know.

“Enough baby talk. Finish your flan so you can make love to me.”

Lorenzo’s eyes flared with heat, but the gentleman in him said, “You’re supposed to be resting.”

Alexis stripped off Lorenzo’s t-shirt and adjusted herself into a lying position as she said. “I’ll just lie still. Have your way with me.”

“Princess,” he chided.

“Kiss me.”

He put the plate on the nightstand and looked down at her with a serious expression. “Don’t ask me to do anything that might hurt you.”

“I didn’t ask you to whip or cane me.”

Lorenzo pulled off his pants and lay next to her. “You know, the last time we did this, you lost consciousness in my arms. You can’t blame me for being a little wary.” He looked down on her tracing her curves with a finger.

“I’m fine. You’ve fed and hydrated me enough for a week. Now don’t make me beg. I don’t like begging.”

Lorenzo shook his head indulgently. “Alexis…” His lips dropped to hers, kissing her gently. His beard, which was getting longer and fuller than his typical scruff, was softer on her face than she was accustomed. 

He kissed her softly again, obviously worried about mishandling her. Alexis wasn’t having it. She caressed his body, running her hands over his firm, sexy chest, down his stomach, and to his cock. His resulting grunt and hardening erection spurned her on. She opened her mouth and licked into his.

“Mmm, woman, you are incorrigible.” He swallowed up her kisses. She felt his arms snaking around her, pulling her close as he settled into his familiar position between her legs. They were lovers now. Making love was such a different thing for them than fucking. He wasn’t pushing her, or using her, or even trying to pleasure her. He was loving her. He was more gentle than he’d ever been when he slipped inside. He moved slow and easy, keeping a languid pace. 

Alexis curled her legs up around him, trying to bring him in closer, trying to somehow entwine their bodies more. He hooked an arm underneath her leg, knotting their bodies further. 

His beard tickled across her cheek as his kisses trailed to her ear. He nibbled on her lobe and whispered in a soft, deep voice, “You’re so much more than I ever thought you’d be, Alexis Davis. I’m never letting you go. You’re mine, now.”

Alexis buried her face in his neck. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Why did this man have to be an Alcazar? Why did he have to be Luis’s brother? Why did he have to be in that ridiculous business? Why did she have to choose between a life as a mother or a life with him?

She didn’t want to choose. She wanted both. She wanted a baby WITH him. A little Lo.

It was his stupid job. It was his work that got in the way. If he would only quit. If he could get out…

But Alexis knew that criminals were just that...criminals. It was who they were, not a job they did. And she wouldn’t love Lorenzo the same if he was anyone else.

Back and forth her mind raced. Baby or Lorenzo. Baby or Lorenzo. And every time it got stuck...unable to choose.

A sob broke through. Lorenzo lifted his head to look at her.

“Baby?” he asked.

“Kiss me,” she demanded. She didn’t know who she would choose, and if it wasn’t him, then she needed this. She needed him as much as possible before she pushed him away. She pulled him close, sealing her mouth over his. Her desperation triggered his. His eyes watched her with a passion that made her break once more. 

Tears fell down her cheeks. She clung tightly to him with her body trying to counteract the distance her secret put between them.

Their desperate union pressed her clit tight against him, triggering her release. She screamed out far louder than anticipated, too much emotion built up. Lorenzo slowed his pace as he watched her come. His rapt attention terrified her that he’d see right through her and find out her secret. 

“More,” she demanded. “Again.” His love was simultaneously the cause of and the fix for her pain. 

Lorenzo rose up on his knees to fuck her. His hands grabbed her ankles, pushing both her legs wide open. Though his physical distance was farther, she worried he could see her better from that vantage.

“Please,” she begged.

Lorenzo nailed into her. He pounded her into the bed giving her everything she needed. She couldn’t think about leaving him or losing a chance at motherhood when his cock was stretching her so wide, and hitting her so hard. She watched his big, strong body straining with every thrust. 

Her second orgasm started deep in her core, radiating out to her limbs. Lorenzo’s hips moved faster and faster. She knew he wanted to come with her. His relentless pace wouldn’t let her relax; she kept squeezing him, sucking him, milking him, until his rhythm stuttered and he growled fierce and loud.

Exhausted, Alexis dropped her arms and legs as Lorenzo’s enormous body collapsed on her. She didn’t know why she was so spent, she'd hardly moved. He covered every inch of her, and then some. His weight and his warmth were all-consuming. She kissed his neck, inhaling his scent that seem so raw with exertion. 

She wanted to remember the scent forever. She never wanted it to fade, but keep it imprinted on her soul.

Lorenzo rolled to the side, but kept her body plastered against his. He stroked her hair and kissed her temple. “Tell me what’s wrong, princess.” His words were authoritative. He was demanding answers, not asking for them.

She kissed the center of his chest before she let out a deep breath. The words came tumbling out as if she had no control over them, “I want you out of the mob.”

Lorenzo tensed and stopped breathing. 

“I need you out,” she said. She pulled back to look in his eyes. “I don’t think I can do this with you if I’m worried when the next body is going to show up.”

“Alexis…” His was face transforming into a mask of incredulity. “I can’t just get out of my work.”

“I saw my sister in the rubble of that explosion. She died because of my involvement with the business.”

“I know what my brother did, Alexis. But I’m not my brother. I’m far more cautious.”

“Sonny just stormed your house. Your enemies don’t play by rules of caution.”

“And he didn’t get in. I was able to protect what’s mine. I’m able to do that because of the business I trade in.”

“You’ve been shot in the last few weeks. What if that bullet had hit it’s target? How can you say you’re cautious? Or that things will be fine?”

“It’s more dangerous for me to be out than in. I have protections doing what I’m doing that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“What protections?”

“I contract with the United States government. I run arms for them. Completely black ops, of course, but they still provide me with enormous amounts of financial and legal support.”

Alexis pulled away, “You think that just because you’re a legal criminal it makes the situation better? Besides, I’ve seen you antagonize Sonny, go after his shipments completely unprovoked. Don’t even get me started on what you did to Carly.”

Lorenzo huffed, “Sometimes you have to go on offense to keep power. If you’re always on the defense, then you’re plugging holes on a sinking ship. You have to keep them scrambling. It’s strategy.”

“People die playing your games. My sister died!”

Lorenzo sat up in bed. “Where is this coming from?”

She sat up with him. “Are you kidding me? Our lives are becoming more and more entwined. Do you think I want lose someone else I care about the way I lost my sister?”

Lorenzo shook his head, “I can’t, Alexis. It can’t be done.”

“Why not? You were a history major at Oxford. This isn’t the life you wanted for yourself.”

“But it’s a life I had to take over, or I wouldn’t have a life at all. You understand power vacuums? Whoever would take over my business would need to ensure threats to their power are eliminated. I’d always be seen as a threat. People close to me would be seen as a threat.”

“Then find a successor you can trust not to kill you.”

“There isn’t anyone!”

“I…” Alexis hesitated, wanting to choose her words wisely, “I’m not sure I can deal with the risks that come with being a part of your life.”

Lorenzo shook his head, “No. No. I told you, you’re mine. I’m not losing you to anyone.”

Her heart ached at the determination in his voice. She climbed on top of him, straddling him. His hands came to rest on her hips, grabbing tight, possessive. She held his face in her hands. “I need you to try. I need you to use this big, clever brain of yours to figure a way out. I need to be enough reason for you to leave.”

“You’re reason enough, Alexis. If I could get out, I would’ve done so a long time ago. I would’ve done it for me, for Sage, for Diego. I if I could, I’d do it for you, too. You have to believe I would.”

Alexis kissed him, her lips firm and determined. “I need you to try again. Look for options. I will not see another dead body because greedy men are playing with weapons around innocents.”

“Alexis…”

She could see him coming up with more reasons to tell her no.

“Run away with me," she said. It was a shot in the dark.

“Run away with you?” His jaw dropped. “Just run from everything?”

She nodded. “Just you and me. No guns, no violence, no ex-husbands, no dead siblings. Just you and me.” And our baby. She thought of Lorenzo and her on a beach, a baby in her arms...

Lorenzo’s face softened. “That sounds amazing.”

“But?”

“But they’d find me. And there’s Diego to think about. Really, Alexis, do you know what it means to live on the run?”

She shook her head. 

“I couldn’t do that to you,” he said. “It’s a dangerous and lonely life.”

And it probably wouldn’t be good for a baby. “You’re right.” Her heart dropped. 

“You would do it, wouldn’t you? If I agreed? You’d run with me?” he smiled.

She nodded.

He pulled her in and kissed her, the depth of her insanity over him clearly thrilled him to death. He was insane, too.

“I promise, Alexis. If I can find a way out, I’ll take it. The only thing stopping me is the risks to you and Diego if I don’t have the business behind me. If I can find a way neutralize those risks, I’ll get out.”

She smiled. That was the best she was going to get from him. Which meant, she was no closer to making her time sensitive decision. 

____________________________________

 

Alexis called and cancelled the rest of her appointments for the trip. She blamed her health, but really, she just wanted to spend every moment with Lorenzo she could. When she got back to Port Charles, it would either be the end of them, or the end of a different dream. And for a short while, she was happy to live in the delusion of having both. 

When it was time to go home, they decided to drive rather than fly. They rode slow and meandering in the countryside in the back of the limo trailing the Llantano River. She turned off her phone, not wanting her husband to interrupt their drive.

“What are you going to tell Ned?” Lorenzo asked.

She shrugged, “That I’m leaving him.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. I guess there’s not good time to do something like that.” He cradled her in his arms, and she took his comfort as she watched the river flow between the snowbanks.

“Where are you going to go when you leave?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“You can stay with me,” his voice was hopeful. “Either at the hotel or at my house.”

Unless she decided to keep the baby. Then she’d have to figure out how to keep as far away from Lorenzo as possible.

“If you’re not ready, I can have my agent help you find your own place.”

She kissed his furry cheek. “Thanks, but I’ll figure it out.”

“Am I mothering again?”

She smiled. “Just give me a little time to figure out what I’m going to do, and how I’m going to do it.”

“Time,” he grumbled. “I’ll try. But if you wait too long, I’m coming in after you.”

She knew he was serious. 

When they arrived at the airport in Port Charles to pick up her car, Alexis felt a heavy weight in her gut. She wondered if this would be their last goodbye.

Lorenzo grabbed her hand and helped her out of the limo. He threaded their fingers together and walked her to her car. She leaned up against her driver door and looked up into his sparkling, blue eyes. His body pressed gently against hers.

“I love you,” she said. She needed him to know, just in case.

“Why do I feel like there’s more you’re not saying?”

“Isn’t ‘I love you’ enough?”

He nodded. He cradled her head and looked with such intensity into her eyes. “I love you, Alexis Davis.”

He kissed her long and deep. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. If this would be their last kiss, then she wanted to make it count. She whimpered into his mouth.

“It’s Ashton,” said a voice behind them. “Her name is Alexis Ashton.”

Alexis pulled her lips away and looked around Lorenzo. Sonny Corinthos was standing in the parking lot with a murderous look in his eyes and a gun in his hand. Alexis didn’t know who it was for, her or Lorenzo.


	10. Choice

Choice 

_______________________________

 

Lorenzo was stiff in front of her. A smirk played across his face. Alexis could almost see the glee in his eyes that a confrontation with Sonny was ensuing. By the tension gathering in his body, she knew he was coiling for a fight.

“Don’t hurt each other. Please,” she begged. She couldn’t handle the violence; it brought her right back Kristina unconscious in the rubble, to Stavros cornering her under the stairwell, to Helena slitting her mother’s throat. 

Lorenzo nodded softly and turned around keeping Alexis completely behind him. Another day, she might’ve fought out from behind him to get through to Sonny, but not today. Not with Lorenzo’s baby inside her. There was that need to protect again. To put the little one before anything else. She’d let Lorenzo protect them both, like she knew he’d want. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Corinthos?” said Lorenzo in an almost lazy, unaffected voice. She knew he wasn’t unaffected by the tension radiating off him, but he was ever the master of self-control.

“I’m looking for my lawyer,” said Sonny. His voice was ragged, but with a tone Alexis didn’t recognize. Something wasn’t right with him.

“Diane Miller’s offices are on the other side of town.”

“I meant my traitorous lawyer.” 

“Instead, go hunt down your traitorous wife.”

Alexis looked left and right. Sonny was surrounded by Lorenzo’s armed men. She wasn’t even sure he saw them. She peered around Lorenzo to catch a glimpse of Sonny. His eyes were puffy with dark circles. His wavy hair was sticking out in different directions. His black shirt was dirty and the buttons weren’t matching up.

Sonny’s dark eyes trained in on her. Rage flashed and his gun raised. Lorenzo’s arm wrapped behind to keep her against his back. 

“Alexis!” said Sonny. “Did this bastard put you up to it? I couldn’t understand why you’d betray me, but it’s all coming clear now. I thought maybe Edward or Ned finally got to you, but it wasn’t them, was it?”

“I didn’t betray you, Sonny,” said Alexis. “I never dealt with those properties that got raided.”

“You figured it out somehow. You’re a smart woman. Never should’ve trusted a smart woman. They get jealous and petty. But the Feds didn’t find much. We got the jump on them. Your plan didn’t work.”

“If they didn’t get much, why are you coming after me?”

“Because you betrayed me!”

“She did no such thing!” said Lorenzo.

“The two of you, Edward, AJ...You’ve all been working together to take me down.”

“You’re out of your mind. Who put that idea in your head? Carly?”

“Anyone with half a brain can see it’s the truth.”

“A chemically imbalanced brain.”

Alexis peered around again. Sonny caught sight of Lorenzo’s guards to his left. He turned around and realized he was surrounded. He took turns pointing his gun at each of the men.

Lorenzo whispered, “Give me your keys.”

She dug through her purse and fished out the keys to her car. She put them in his hand and watched him unlock the door with a press of a button. 

“You’re going to get inside and crawl over to the passenger’s seat,” he quietly instructed. “Go.” Lorenzo reached around her to open the door and guided her in forcefully, without giving her a chance to see what Sonny was doing.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sonny demanded.

Alexis was sitting in the passenger’s seat. She put on her seat belt and waited.

“Drop the gun, Sonny, or my men will kill you,” said Lorenzo in an authoritative voice. 

“Fuck you, Alcazar! You’ve hijacked my shipments, threatened my suppliers, bullied my buyers, seduced my lawyer. You’ve got a bullet coming. You and your little whore.”

Aside from the madness in the way he looked waving a gun around, and the strangeness of his voice, Alexis didn’t see much paranoia in anything Sonny was saying. Everything he said was probably true, except for the assumption of Alexis turning on him. And Alexis could see why that would be so easy to believe with Carly whispering in his ear, and Alexis fraternizing with his enemy. His critical thinking ability and judgment was impaired, but he didn’t seem that manic as far as Sonny was concerned. 

“My men will kill you, Corinthos,” Lorenzo repeated. “Put your gun down.”

“I’d like to see them try! I’m Sonny fucking Corinthos! I’m untouchable!”

Never mind. He was THAT manic.

“You’re not going to convince him, Lorenzo,” said Alexis.

“I know,” Lorenzo mumbled.

Alexis saw one of Lorenzo’s men edging up behind Sonny.

“Oh God, oh God,” she said under her breath. “Please don’t hit Lorenzo.”

At a nod from Lorenzo, his man moved on Sonny maneuvering his arms. As Lorenzo jumped in the car she heard a gun discharge. Alexis didn’t have time to see whose gun it was, or if anyone was hurt. Lorenzo started her car and was pulling out at a rapid pace. 

Alexis strained her neck to see if anyone was hurt, but Lorenzo’s driving was too efficient.

“That bastard is out of his mind. Coming up on us with no back-up, in broad daylight, with civilians around.” Lorenzo shook his head. 

“Is he ok?”

“My men will call when the situation is under control.” Lorenzo was driving fast and with purpose, jerking the car in gaps Alexis was certain they couldn’t fit, but apparently he had better depth perception than she did, because they made it without a scratch.

Lorenzo was about to get on the freeway downtown. “No,” she tried stopping him. “Take me home. I need to get home.”

“Alexis, I can’t protect you at the Quartermaines' house.” Lorenzo got on the freeway toward the Metro Court without slowing down.

“You can leave a couple of guards at the front door,” she pleaded. “I can’t stay away another night.”

Lorenzo looked incredulously at her. “A couple of guards? Ridiculous. I’m not letting you out of my sight. She pointed for him to watch the road.

“Lorenzo, please. Ned and I are married. We were friends years before. He can’t find out I’m leaving him like this. I told you, I need some time to figure out what I’m going to say, and what I’m going to do.”

“That was before Corinthos tried to ambush you in the airport parking lot. How the hell did he know where you were?”

“It couldn’t’ve been that hard. Someone just needed to tell him was out of town, and he could’ve stalked the airport parking lot for my car.”

“Why wouldn’t he send his men to find you? Why stalk you himself?”

Alexis shrugged, “If Jason knows he’s sick, he’ll take over giving orders. Everyone knows the men follow Jason, not Sonny. I highly doubt Jason would authorize something like that without being involved himself.”

“How long must he have been waiting there for you?”

Alexis hadn’t thought of that. He did look filthy…

Lorenzo’s phone rang; he answered, “Alcazar.” Alexis tried to listen in, but the volume wasn’t loud enough, and what she did hear sounded like Spanish.

“Take him to the hospital. Call the police to meet you there.” Lorenzo hung up the phone.

“The hospital? Is Sonny ok?”

“He’s fine. The bullet went astray. He needs to be placed on a psychiatric hold.”

“A hospital is exactly what he needs.” She grabbed Lorenzo’s arm affectionately. “Thank you.”

Lorenzo just nodded. Alexis could tell by the disappointment in his features that Lorenzo would much rather have had Sonny shot than get him mental health treatment. 

“So, you can take me home now. Sonny’s going to the hospital, right? I’m safe.”

“You don’t know that, Alexis. Jason could do his dirty work for him.”

“Jason is a rational being. All I need to do is talk to him. He knows Sonny would never want to hurt me in his right mind.”

Lorenzo sighed at her naivete, “He thinks you betrayed him. And quite frankly, sleeping with me while representing him is a betrayal. You knew that.”

She couldn’t believe her friend would want her dead for falling in love. And she didn’t do anything to harm his business.

“We need to see how clear he is when he comes out of his madness,” Lorenzo continued. “And Jason needs to be warned of what Carly’s been doing behind Sonny’s back so they don’t blame you again.”

Alexis felt a little sinful pleasure at Jason having to choose between the two most dysfunctional people in his life, then immediately felt guilty for it. She was really becoming messed up in so many ways. The thought gave her headache. 

“Take me home, Lorenzo. I need to go home to clear my head.”

“You think you’re going to clear your head at the Quartermaines’?” He looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Please, Lo. I need to you reign in your possessive, controlling impulses for today and let me have some free will.”

She watched him grip the steering wheel the way he probably wanted to tie her up and restrain her. If Lorenzo knew she was carrying his baby, there would be no way in hell he’d let her go back to the Quartermaines’ without him as her personal escort, and only then to pick up her things and leave.

“Fine,” he finally said. He called one of his men and instructed guards be sent to the Q mansion to protect Alexis. It sounded like a lot more than “a couple” of men. When he hung up the phone, he smirked and asked, “How exactly are you going to explain their presence to Ned?”

She didn’t like his antagonist smile. “I thought you didn’t enjoy my pain anymore?”

His face fell. “I’m not enjoying your pain, baby. I’m growing impatient with the woman I love being married to another man. My pleasure is solely at the idea of the truth coming out, and you coming home to me.”

She sighed uncertain if that was a choice she was ever going to make.

“You’ll have to forgive my possessiveness, Alexis. I was just standing between you and the barrel of a madman’s gun. If anything happened to you…”

“I’m fine.”

“Because I was there. What if he was waiting for you at home instead?”

She hadn’t thought of that. “Good God.”

“Trust me, baby, I know this life. You need me to keep you safe.”

“Lorenzo…” she said tentatively. “I...I’m not sure I can...What just happened with Sonny...That’s a part of your life, not mine. I’m not sure that kind of life is for me.” And it’s certainly not for my baby.

Lorenzo let out a grunt and his hand dropped to her thigh. It clamped down as though trying to stop her from escaping. He was driving in the fast lane and cut across the freeway. Hepulled to the side of the road and put the car in park. She watched his large chest breathing an irregular rhythm as he stared forward, avoiding her gaze. 

“Lo…”

“I told you, if there’s a way out, I’ll find it.” His voice was steady, but she could see the panic he was trying to hide. She could feel it radiating off him.

“And how long am I supposed to wait for your life to get safe? Until the next dead body shows up?”

He looked at her fiercely. Lorenzo gripped her chin in his hand and said, “You’ll wait as long as it takes. I told you, I’m not losing you. Not to that asshole Corinthos, not to Ned, not to your fear or naivete, not anyone or anything.”

She could see he wasn’t calming despite his obvious effort to reign himself in. His tension was increasing, his leg was shaking, his jaw twitching. His fingers were unconsciously digging painfully into her leg. She needed to do something before he gave into his more primitive impulses.

Alexis touched his face softly. She crawled over the center console and straddled him in the driver’s seat. She cradled his face in her hands, stroking his bearded cheeks with her thumbs. Her hands felt so small trying to settle such a big man, but she knew her power over him had nothing to do with her size.

He looked down at her, a tempest brewing his eyes at her threat of leaving. Lorenzo was the kind of man who laughed in the face of Sonny’s maniacal gun toting, but the thought of losing Alexis gave rise to a storm deep within she didn’t think he had the power to control. 

She kissed him softly on the lips, one, two, three times. She licked the seam of his mouth, enticing him to let her in. His hands found their way to her body, pulling her close as his mouth opened. 

And that quickly, she was no longer in control of the kiss. He took it from her forcing his tongue deep, squeezing her body with long, solid arms. Heat rushed over her at his effortless dominance. Her hips rolled over him, rubbing against his hardening cock. His hands grabbed her ass, squeezing, directing pressure and friction. 

This wasn’t calming him down; it was fueling the storm.

She broke her mouth away, needing to catch her breath. No one had ever taken her breath away like Lorenzo Alcazar. 

His hands tangled in her hair, grabbing tight, holding her still. “You’re mine, you understand? There’s no bargaining here. I love you. You love me. We are happening. This is happening. Don’t fight me on it.”

She knew she shouldn’t fight him in that moment. She didn’t want to fight him, though she knew misleading him would only hurt more in the end. “We are happening. We are. But you have to keep us safe. You need to find a way out. You are going to find a way out. Promise me.”

Her false assurances of their inevitability seemed to calm the storm. He blink and nodded, “I’ll find a way.” And if he actually did find a way out, then her assurances were never false, at all. 

“Soon. Not years from now,” she demanded.

He nodded. “Soon.”

“Now, you’re going to take me home, so I can figure out what the hell I’m going to do. You’re going to let me decide how I make this happen on my end, just like you’re going to figure out how to make this happen on yours.”

He nodded in agreement. 

Alexis kissed him again, his body much softer now. She was so hot for him, yet should couldn’t figure out if it was because of the amount of his crazy over her, or the power she held over him.

“Princess, we better stop now if you want me to take you home tonight.” Her eyes opened to find him still flaming with passion. She watched his lips sucking in ragged breaths. God she loved those lips, loved what they were capable of. She loved the current of electricity that seemed to flow through them when they touched her. She wanted her lips on them so bad. As she rolled her hips against him again, she recognized she really didn’t have a preference which set of her lips he had them on.

A deep growling resonated from his chest, and she looked up to his hungry eyes. “You’ll be the death of me, woman. Stop looking at me like that.” 

A large semi truck passed by and shook the car on the side of the freeway bringing Alexis back to reality. She kissed Lorenzo one more time before dismounting back to the passenger’s seat. Lorenzo adjusted himself in his pants and made sure Alexis was buckled before he took off again.

A car was waiting for him when they arrived at the Q house. Alexis was surprised to see her bags from the trip waiting with the guards. She hadn’t realized she left them in the limo. 

She had Lorenzo pull into the garage so they could say their goodbye in private. He helped her out of the car and shut the door behind her. She leaned back against the car and looked up at the man in front of her. Lorenzo’s big body caged her in. Surrounded by his scent, she melted. 

“This is all I want,” she said, trying to fight back tears. “Just us.” She wanted to tell him the word US included a third person. 

“Alexis, I want to promise you the world. But if it’s even possible to get out of the business, it will take some time.”

She nodded. She didn’t have time. Which meant she couldn’t have everything she wanted.

“I’ll keep you safe, princess. I promise.”

She appeased him again with another nod. “Kiss me before you go.”

He kissed her sweet and loving, and if she didn’t have a baby in her belly, maybe she would’ve been reassured. Or maybe she would’ve been reassured if the guilt of Kristina’s death didn’t torture her dreams.

And the fact that she had begun thinking of their baby as a baby and not a fetus was telling her something about the choice she her mind was already starting to make. She was growing an attachment to the little one over the last few days, but the thing that seemed to stun her the most, was that the attachment seemed to rival her attachment to Lorenzo. And then there were those strange compulsions to nurture and protect the little one at any cost. 

Maybe her attachment to the baby was a wish-fulfilling projection of all those other parent-child relationships she never got to have in her life. Or maybe, being that the baby was Lorenzo’s, it was some consolation for not having him.

It didn’t really matter why, all that mattered was her choice was becoming more and more clear. Baby or not, Lorenzo’s life was dangerous, and she didn’t want the guilt of condoning his behavior on her conscience. And she wasn’t some mob moll who could side-step all dead bodies to get to her happy ending. Especially when people who were her friends or family may be some of those bodies littering the floor.

Alexis didn’t allow Lorenzo to walk her to the front door. They reluctantly parted ways at the garage. Alexis left her bags at the foot of the stairs and made her way up to her room. She hoped Ned wouldn’t be there, wanting a little time to gather herself before seeing him.

As if time could avoid hurting him.

When she walked in the room, she saw Ned coming out of the walk-in closet putting on a black t-shirt over his jeans. He paused a moment when he saw Alexis come through the door. An enormous grin stole over his face.

Why did he have to be so happy to see her?

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” he said.

“Hi, Ned.”

Ned walked up to her with a bounce in his step. His arms opened wide and engulfed her in the sweetest embrace. “I missed you.”

Alexis wasn’t expected such a warm homecoming. She hadn’t had one like it in years.

“I feel like we hardly talked while you were gone,” he said.

“We were both busy,” she brushed off his concern. “What are you doing home so early? Shouldn’t you be at the office?”

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be getting in; I think your phone was off for the flight. I wanted to be here to welcome you. I have some exciting news I want to share.”

“Oh?”

“Before we get to the surprise, there is something I want to do…” 

Ned leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. 

Alexis thought of Lorenzo’s threat if another man touched her again. Alexis pulled away and lead Ned to their sitting area. She made sure to sit in a seat that wouldn’t allow them to touch. “Now that I know there is a surprise, you can’t distract me. Tell me.”

Ned was grinning in an adorably self-satisfied way. “I wanted to do something nice for you, something that would mean something to you. I was going to surprise you Monday, but I can’t keep a secret from you.”

“Monday? Valentine’s Day?”

Ned nodded. “I’ve been talking with Mother and Grandfather about throwing a benefit for the foundation to get you a little extra financial boost for the work you’re doing with the schools. I didn’t think we could pull it off in time for Valentine’s Day, but Jax said he has an open ballroom at the Metro Court that evening. Mother and Grandfather reached out to some of our business associates who have already RSVP’d. Monica’s invited nearly all the hospital staff. And I just got off the phone with your Llanview associates, and Clint Buchanan said he’d be delighted to come. He’s even going to bring his brother whose wife is a lawyer he thought you’d really hit it off with…”

As Ned kept rambling on about the lengths he was going to make Alexis happy and do something special for her, the weight of the guilt grew heavier and heavier. 

“Oh,” he went on, “And I got us a suite on the twelfth floor for our annual Valentine’s date. I couldn’t get us the largest suite because it’s occupied by a long-term guest, but Jax said the room has a beautiful view of…”

“Ned, please stop. I can’t. I can’t do this anymore.”

Ned’s face was one of worry, “I’m sorry, is it too much? I thought you’d appreciate...”

“Yes, it’s too much. I mean, no, it’s not. It’s wonderful. All of it. It’s perfect. I just can’t do it.”

His worried face fell to confused disappointment. “Why?”

“I...I…” 

“Alexis, what’s wrong?”

She forced herself to look in his eyes. She couldn’t allow herself to be a coward. “I’m leaving, Ned. I want a divorce.”

“A divorce? Where the hell is this coming from?”

“Come on, Ned. This can’t be a surprise. Things haven’t been right between us for awhile.”

He shook his head. “But not this bad. Not so bad to just throw everything away.”

“Ned, it’s that bad for me.”

Ned stared at her a moment as though looking at an alien. Finally, he shook his head in disbelief and stood to pace around. She could see his wheels turning, trying to process what she said. Memories of every interaction they had in the last few years probably flashed through his mind.

“This doesn’t make sense, Alexis. This isn’t you. You’re a fixer. You fix things. You make things work. You don’t throw in the towel without a fight. You’re a Cassadine, for Christ’s sake!”

“So now that’s a good thing?”

Ned sighed and deflated, probably remembering the years of insults he hurled her way about her heritage.

“Alexis, don’t you want to try to fix things?”

She shook her head, “Truthfully, no.”

“Counseling? Anything?”

“I’m pregnant, Ned.” Alexis surprised herself by telling him. It was as though telling him was helping her finalize her choice between the baby and Lorenzo.

“What?!”

“I’m six weeks along.”

He squinted and raised his fingers as though counting. “But we haven’t…Oh. Oh, I see. There’s someone else.” His confusion turned to disgust.

“There was someone, but that’s not why I’m leaving.”

Ned shook his head. “A baby? We’ve been at it for how long? And you shack up with this guy and BAM, huh?”

Alexis sighed. “I’m sorry, Ned.”

“So, what? You’re going to run off with your boyfriend and have the perfect family I couldn’t give you?”

Alexis shook her head. “No. I still need time to figure out exactly what I’m going to do, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to do it on my own. I just need to figure out how.”

“Wait, you cheat on me, it doesn’t work out with the guy, and you’re still leaving me? You’re not even giving me the chance to leave you first?”

“I should’ve left a long time ago, long before this all happened. And my relationship with...with the other person has its own problems.”

Ned’s jaw was set and a vein was throbbing in his forehead, “Who is it? Do I know him?”

“That’s not important. And I’m not going to tell you. I’m not telling anyone. And I’d appreciate you not telling anyone about this baby. I’m not ready for anyone to know.”

“You get knocked up by the hammer banging you on the side and you’re asking favors of me?”

She shrugged, “Do whatever you like. I can’t stop you.”

“Are you keeping the baby?”

She nodded. A hand dropped to her belly caressing the little one.

“And the guy doesn’t know you’re pregnant?”

She shook her head. “I have no intention of telling him.”

Ned laughed, “And you expect to walk around with a few extra inches around your waist and expect loverboy not to notice? And when you’re pushing a stroller with a crying baby through the Metro Court restaurant, you don’t think it’ll raise a few eyebrows?”

She shook her head, “I’m thinking of going back to the city. Getting out of town.”

“Why wouldn’t you just tell him the truth? Doesn’t your baby deserve a father?”

Alexis shook her head. “Not like this.”

Ned tilted his head and squinted his eyes at her as though trying to see some deeper truth buried inside. “Is it Sonny’s baby?”

“What?! No! God no!”

“Why else wouldn’t you tell the father, unless you were worried about the baby’s safety?”

“It’s NOT Sonny, Ned. If it was Sonny, I’d just have to tell him I was pregnant with his baby, and he wouldn’t be after me anymore.”

Ned’s shoulders dropped, “Sonny is after you? What the hell for?”

Alexis shook her head at the “I told you so” she was probably about to hear. “He’s off his meds. He thinks I turned him into the Feds.”

“Did you?”

“Of course not. It was Carly. She’s manipulating him.”

“Jesus Christ, Alexis. I told you working for him could only end in disaster. Is he trying to hurt you?”

She nodded. “He came after me earlier today. I’ve hired some guards, you’ll see them around the property. We should let the family know they’ll be here until I move out.”

“And when is that?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Soon. As soon as can find a place, set up an office. I’m on a timetable, you know.” 

Ned rubbed his face in his hands and took deep breaths. Alexis knew he was probably getting tearful. 

“I’m so sorry, Ned.”

He laughed sarcastically, “After all these years, my wife and best friend betrays me in the worst possible way, and she says she’s sorry.”

He was done talking to her and talking at her. She expected it. She expected it to get worse. 

“But I am sorry, Ned. I’ll sleep in the guest room until I find a place to go.”

He shook his head, “No. There’s no way in hell I’m staying here in that bed,” he pointed to where they’d been sleeping together since they married. Ned went to the closet and came out with his guitar. “You do whatever the hell you want. It’s not like your concern for me stopped you before, why the hell should it stop you now?”

“Ned…” 

He walked to the door. “I hope fucking this guy was worth destroying everything we had.” He walked out and slammed the door behind him.

The fixer in her, the one buried deep, wanted to run after him and make him feel better, but she knew there was nothing she could do. 

And selfishly, she wanted to be alone anyway.

She moved to the floor length mirror near the closet and stared at her stomach. There was a baby in there. Her baby. And she decided she was going to do everything she could to take care of her little one. Her little Lo was more important than Ned, than Lorenzo, and far more important than herself.

The first thing she had to do was take care of the baby. Then she’d worry about everything else later.


	11. Dissent

Dissent

_______________________________

 

Alexis knocked tentatively on the door of the law offices of Levy and Hill wondering what awaited her on the other side. 

“Go on in, Ms. Davis.” Alexis rolled her eyes at her guards addressing her as “Ms. Davis.” She hadn’t even drawn up the divorce papers yet, and Lorenzo was making sure Ned kept the name Ashton in the split. 

Alexis opened the door to find a large, spacious office. It had a view of the Port Charles skyline, and she was pretty sure she could see Lorenzo’s suite at the Metro Court. The office had a large conference table to the left, a wall of mahogany filing cabinets to the right, and in front of her a large, heavy, L-shaped desk.

A man was seated at the desk putting away his phone. Lorenzo leaned back in the large office chair and watched Alexis with rapt attention. Damn, he looked good in his open-collared suit. His presence filled the minimalist space around him, turning a very neutral room into a very masculine one.

Her knees lost stability when Lorenzo’s eyes ran up and down her body. His eyes settled on her own and his lip curled in the most delicious way. He patted the desk in front of him encouraging her to sit. 

Alexis complied without hesitation. Her plans of breaking things off with him were officially postponed.

How weak-willed she was around him.

She shed her purse and coat before she jumped up on the desk in front of him. As he rolled his seat closer, she automatically spread her legs inviting him in. His hands slid up her thighs under her skirt, and their lips connected for a sweet hello.

“Mmm,” she moaned in pleasure, sucking on his bottom lip.

“Good morning, Ms. Davis.” He kissed down her neck and his face came to rest between her breasts.

Alexis ran her hands through his dark, thick hair. She bent her head down to kiss him on the top of his head. A warm, joyful comfort filled her deep in her belly. It was an intoxicating sensation she never quite felt before. She took a moment to just feel it, knowing it wouldn’t last with what she had planned.

Lorenzo’s scent hit every erotic nerve in her brain, and she could feel her sex readying for him. Why did she have no control of herself around him? And with his baby inside her, it felt so right. She didn’t want to end it.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

She took a breath trying to figure out what to say. Apparently he was asking about something specific and she didn’t realize, because he followed up with, “Do you like it?” 

“Do I like what?”

“The office.”

“Oh,” she said disappointed, realizing why he had asked her to meet him there. This was about him shopping around for an office for her. “It’s nice.” 

“But?”

“But, I told you, I want to look for my own office.” Somewhere not in Port Charles. Somewhere I can keep our little Lo safe.

He looked up in her eyes obviously disappointed. “I promise I wasn’t trying to impose. My lawyer is expanding his firm, and he’s in the process of getting a new office. His lease is up at the end of the month.”

“I wish him my best.”

Lorenzo pouted in an adorably grown man type of way, more irritated than anything. “If I hadn’t been the one to suggest this office, would you like it more?”

She shrugged, “Maybe. It doesn’t really matter, I’m not moving in.”

“That’s a little petulant, princess.”

“No, Lorenzo. You’ve overstepped your bounds. You don’t get to call me petulant for standing my ground.”

His arms wrapped tight around her and squeezed, as much in frustration as anything else. He took a breast in his mouth through her clothes and nipped hard. 

“Ouch. And you accuse me of petulance?”

He chuckled darkly, tantrum apparently over. He pulled Alexis closer, offsetting her balance, making her lean back on the desk. His hands were back under her skirt where they found her panties and were yanking them down. 

At his firm guidance, her legs fell wide open as he shoved the skirt above her hips. “Is your cunt salivating for me?” he asked.

Yes. It was.

“Mmmm,” he hummed indulgently. He kissed over the lips of her pussy. “I missed having you in my bed last night.”

And just like that, he was forgiven. 

“Did you miss me, princess?” He added his tongue to the kisses. Pregnancy must’ve been making her more sensitive, because a fiery pleasure was burning through her, and he hardly touched her.

“Is that why you’re doing this? To remind me what I missed out on last night?”

His tongue ran up and down her slit before he answered. “It wasn’t, but I’m glad to hear it’s having that effect. Believe it or not, baby, but eating this cunt is as much for me as it is for you.” He licked from bottom to top to punctuate his point. The pleasure had her lifting her hips to try to follow his tongue.

“That’s the best line I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Keep thinking it’s a line. I like the idea of you being grateful to me for indulging myself.” He sucked her clit up into the deepest of tongue-stroking kisses. 

“Oh God!” Orgasm hit hard and fast, and he barely started! Her back arched off the desk, and her pussy pressed against his mouth. She came back down almost as quickly as she set off. 

Alexis lifted her head at the absence of Lorenzo’s mouth on her. He was grinning through his beard, shiny with her pleasure. Blue eyes were dancing with amusement. 

She lay back a little embarrassed. “I guess I missed you a little,” she conceded.

“A little sensitive this morning, princess?”

She didn’t answer his teasing. She wondered what other changes this baby was going to bring to her body. 

“Oh, this should be fun.” 

And it was…

Lorenzo explored her new heightened sensitivity with all manner of oral gymnastics. She didn’t know which orgasm she liked better, the one where his tongue was fluttering over her clit with the speed and lightness of a hummingbird’s wings, or when he plunged his tongue licking inside while his skillful fingers massaged her clit. That last orgasm was particularly loud and wet, and had Lorenzo pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his beard which was lifted at a corner in a self-satisfied smirk. 

Alexis started sitting up, but his hand on her diaphragm easily held her down. She was too exhausted to put up a fight. 

“You can’t possibly have a desire for more?” she said.

He laughed and grabbed her ass pulling her up to his face. 

An urgent knock sounded at the door. Alexis sat up quick and pushed her skirt down. She jumped off the desk and moved around to the other side. Lorenzo sat back with a look of frustrated irritation. The knock sounded again. 

“Come in!” Lorenzo yelled.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Alcazar. Mr. Hill offers his apologies for the intrusion,” said a young woman. “I just have to pick up a file we forgot for court this morning.”

Lorenzo nodded and waved her in with obvious impatience. He whispered to Alexis. “My lawyer’s assistant.” 

The girl unlocked a file cabinet and fished out what she was looking for. Alexis watched Lorenzo reach down to pick her panties up off the floor and shove them in his pocket. 

The assistant found what she needed and locked up the cabinet. “Apologies again for the intrusion, Mr. Alcazar, Mrs. Ashton.”

Oh shit. Alexis waited for the door to close. “Great, she recognized me.”

“Don’t worry, she understands privilege. And she didn’t catch us doing anything. Besides, would it be so terrible for people to know about us?”

Alexis glared at him. “Lorenzo…”

“I know, I know,” he pouted. “We’re doing this your way.”

Alexis moved to the large window and stared out at Port Charles. She needed to tell Lorenzo she was leaving. She needed to tell him they couldn’t be together. The more people who found out about them the worse it would get for her. 

Footsteps came up behind her, and his arms wrapped around her. For a moment, she visualized his arms cradling her big, pregnant belly in much the same way.

“Come stay with me tonight,” he said.

She shook her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I want you in MY bed, at MY house.”

She didn’t answer. She wanted that, too.

“I hate the thought of you sleeping next to Ned.”

She turned and looked at him, his eyes angry and little sad. Funny, though, how when the anger used to be directed at her it chilled her bones, but now made her heart ache. 

Did she dare tell him she already talked to Ned? She wanted to ease his mind, but then he wouldn’t understand what was standing in their way. God, she wasn’t ready for that yet. 

Another knock sounded from the door.

“Goddammit!” Lorenzo marched to the door ready to have someone’s head. Alexis was grateful for the interruption.

Lorenzo yanked open the door. Alexis recognized one of her guards standing there. He was a big man, bigger than even Lorenzo; however, in the moment, Alexis could see him shrinking away from his visibly furious boss.

“What?!”

“We received word on Corinthos, sir.”

“And?”

“And, he was released from the hospital.”

“What?!”

“Word is, Mrs. Corinthos vouched for him. She said she’d be responsible for him.”

Lorenzo looked ready to kill someone. “Double the guards on Alexis. Heighten security on my house and the new warehouses.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alexis turned back to the window. She rested her forehead on the glass. She couldn’t live like this. She couldn’t let her baby be in constant danger.

The door closed and footsteps came up behind her. Lorenzo’s hands rested on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand how they could let him go. He was out of his mind.”

“The system is broken, Lorenzo. They can only hold him against his will if he is an imminent danger, and if he was able to hold it together long enough to convince them he’s not…”

“And Carly vouched for him, all the while gleefully planning on setting him loose to self-destruct.” Lorenzo spoke with disgust.

“There is no way he could’ve been stabilized overnight. He’s probably still out for blood.”

Lorenzo hugged her from behind. “I’ll keep you safe, Alexis. I promise.”

His promises weren’t enough. And even if he could keep her safe from Sonny, there was the next threat to worry about, then the next. 

Alexis shook her head. “I can’t do this, Lorenzo.”

“Of course you can. I’m here with you.”

She turned around to face him, shaking her head and forcing his arms off her. “No, I mean, I can’t do us. I’ve spent my whole life living in fear of one threat after another. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t be with you.”

Lorenzo shook his head and flattened his mouth. “I told you, that’s not an option. We’re in this together.”

“You can’t force me.”

“I shouldn’t have to. You love me.”

“Sometimes that’s not enough.”

He spoke low and exasperated, “You can’t be serious.”

“I take my safety very seriously.”

“I take your safety very seriously. Trust me to protect you.”

“I trust that you’ll do everything you can, but you can’t foresee all the possible dangers, and you can’t protect everyone I care about.”

He grabbed her by the arms, “Try me.”

Alexis shoved away from him, “My sister is dead! I saw her there blown up in the rubble! My choices put her there. You’re asking me to do the same thing all over again!”

“It’s not the same! I’m here now!”

“Running the same business that killed her!”

“Sonny, your old friend, is the one after you, and not because of anything my business did. My business makes me capable of protecting you.”

“But it’s the same thing. You have dangerous enemies who want you dead. Who’d use me and my loved ones to hurt you. And not to mention the work you do, which we haven’t even gotten close to touching on. I can’t be with someone who trades in blood!”

Lorenzo looked like he was fighting himself on whether or not he was going to grab hold of her again. His restraint looked tenuous at best. “I promised you, Alexis, I’m going to try to get out. I need time.”

“I don’t have time.”

“Why not?”

She shook her head. “I can’t choose to be with the man you have the potential to be, Lorenzo. I have to decide if I want to be with the man you are right now. I don’t want this.”

He shook his head, slow at first, then increasing in speed and intensity. “Something’s not right. Something’s not adding up.”

“You know I’m being reasonable.”

In a flash of movement, he had her pinned up against the window. His whole body pressing against hers so firm her feet were lifting off the floor. “You want to appeal to my reason?” he growled. “You think me falling in love with you was reasonable? Falling for you is the most irrational thing I’ve ever done, and no appeal to logic is going to push me away.”

Alexis didn’t know if what she was feeling was fear or anticipation. Her heart was racing, her skin was flush, and her breath was short. In that moment passion and fear made her feel the same thing. But when his lips grazed hers, the heated pleasure in her brain, heart, and sex told her it didn’t matter if she was afraid. She WANTED him.

When he kissed her, she kissed him back knowing there was nothing he could say or do that would change her mind. She was still going to leave. But when his mouth was on her, it was impossible to think about the consequences of letting this drag out. 

Lorenzo groped her breasts, squeezing hard, but never hard enough. Damn her clothes for getting in the way of his big hands and long fingers. He was so good with his mouth, so good with his tongue. 

With her panties already gone, his fingers found her pussy with no barriers. She was so wet from him eating her on the desk, his hand was soaked just running through her folds. She groaned when he pushed his fingers inside.

“You’re mine, princess. Every piece of you. This mouth is mine.” The way his lips sealed over hers, the way tongue massaged and caressed, set her on fire.

“This pussy is MINE,” he fingered her deep. Her arms were around his neck, pulling him in, riding his hand. She kissed him in confirmation of everything he claimed. 

She wished she could tell him that he owned her womb, too. 

“And this ass is mine,” he said grabbing an aggressive handful of her bottom while he fingered her with his other hand. He gripped and massaged her ass as she rolled her hips fucking his fingers.

He lifted her up, pulling her back to the desk where he turned her around and bent her over. 

Fear shot through her, wondering if he was going to try to claim her virgin ass right there and then. “Lorenzo…I’ve never...”

“You’re mine, princess. Let me take what’s mine.” His fingers shoved in her pussy again, coating themselves with her slick arousal. 

His domineering possessiveness stimulated that deep need in her to be loved beyond reason, almost making her wish he would take everything from her in that moment. His skillful fingers slipped in and out, and had her arching her back, angling her ass up to the man that claimed ownership of her body.

His fingers pulled out, leaving her wanting so much more, but a moment later she felt one of them at her back door. Instinct made her jump and tense, and she heard his deep, rumbling chuckle that was its own aphrodisiac. 

Lorenzo bent over her, kissing her neck gently, so different than the way he just manhandled her. She knew he was telling her it would be ok, that she could trust him not to hurt her. His heavy body on hers was comforting and arousing. She relaxed and felt his finger slip in. He didn’t move slow, but he pushed in softly, and with a surprising amount of finesse for such a big, strong hand. 

Someone pushing in that hole produced a feeling of fundamental aversion, but it was countered by the fact that it was Lorenzo and his gloriously skillful hands doing the pushing, and by the lingering pleasure of the last few orgasms his mouth bestowed, and by the trail of sweet kisses and licks he rained on her neck. When his finger was all the way in, her pussy clenched with anticipation. 

A satisfied rumble vibrated on her back where Lorenzo’s body weighed against her. “Good girl. You like it, don’t you?”

She did, but a finger was really all she could handle at the moment.

He pulled his finger gently back, giving her the strangest pleasurable feeling of anticipated relief before pushing back in. She was an enormous bundle of nerves in a state of excitation concurrently being stoked and calmed by the man on top of her.

She froze when she heard his zipper slide down. There was no way THAT would fit in there.

He rumbled a quiet laugh as he lined up with her pussy. She exhaled in relief and pushed back into him so ready to be fucked. She didn’t know if his rock hard dick was bigger than normal, or the extra space his finger was taking up in her ass made it a tighter fit. Either way, it was the stimulation she craved; she pushed back against him and sheathed his cock and his finger at the same time. Lorenzo’s resulting grunt let her know just how affected he was by the tight fit. 

Spurned on by both the pleasure of the fuck and by the knowledge of what it did to her man, she pulled away from him and shoved back against him. 

“Oh, princess!” he pushed deep in, taking her breath away. His weight lay heavy on her, pinning her down, stopping any possible movement. “I like it when you’re greedy.”

He fucked into her again, and again, and again. His finger moving at the same rhythm. It was so hard to keep loose and open when all she wanted to do was clench down and squeeze the cum out of him. 

Her impatience must’ve been showing, because he said, “You’re going to get yours baby. Just enjoy how it feels.”

“It feels too much. I need it, now.” He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand what her hormones were doing to her body. She didn’t think she could take much more.

Lorenzo reached around and found her clit, sliding his fingers through her slick folds. “I’ll always give you what you need, princess.” He rubbed her off as he fucked her and fingered her from behind. 

Orgasm hit her from every direction, a cascade of sensations, each one triggering the next. Alexis screamed out, trying to release the pleasure rolling through her body. She hardly heard Lorenzo’s curse when he shot off his own release, grateful he could keep pace with her body’s new overactive orgasming. 

Her body was starting to become so foreign to her. 

Hypersensitive, she felt overwhelmed by his touch. When he pulled out of her, she was overtaken by an incredible sense of relief combined with a vast emptiness. 

“Give me a second, baby,” he said. 

She felt tears filling her eyes, and she couldn’t really figure out why.

Lorenzo stood up and moved away. The emptiness was magnified by his absence. Alexis stood to look for him. She heard a sink sound from a small hall she didn’t notice was there on her first inspection. Lorenzo must’ve been in a washroom.

Her knees still weak from the mind-blowing orgasm, Alexis had to lean back against the desk. She wiped her tears then crossed her arms, trying to find some way to comfort herself. 

“Lo?” She wanted to be held after what they just did. Damn, she was feeling needy. 

Lorenzo strode out with a towel in his hands. His eyes were narrowed in assessment of her state. “Are you ok?”

She shook her head.

One of his arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her forehead. His other hand wiped her sex and her ass with the warm, wet towel. It was such a caring gesture, and quickly becoming a habit of his whenever they had sex outside a bed.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked as he set the towel down on the desk beside her.

“Not at all.”

“Why aren’t you ok?”

“I just need you close to me.”

“That’s a good thing.” He hugged her tight. She buried her face in his chest and sighed in relief. He continued, “I thought you didn’t like what I did to you for a second. I mean, I could tell you liked it, but liking it during sex and liking it after can be two different things.”

“I liked it,” she said. “I’m just a bit sensitive lately.”

“I’ve noticed.” Lorenzo said the words almost like a question, like he was trying to figure something out. 

“Of course you have.” She smiled. He was so damn attuned to her. She rubbed her body against him, head to toe.

His large, strong hands reached under her skirt and grabbed the cheeks of her ass, pulling them apart, exposing her sensitive skin between, still moist from his wipe down. She didn’t know if she was already aroused again by his latest attentions, or if she never stopped.

“My body craves you like I can’t explain,” he said. “You have no idea how much self-control it took not to fuck your ass.” His finger traced gently over her and his cock hardened on her stomach. She knew her ass couldn’t take him, but God she wished it could.

“You want it, don’t you?” he asked. “I can feel it in your body.”

She looked up to eyes to see him eyeing her with that heated intensity that drove her mad. She nodded. 

His eyes flared. “Mmmm. We’ll get a kit for tonight.”

Tonight? She remembered she couldn’t be with him again. She was supposed to break up with him. 

Alexis pulled away from Lorenzo, crossing her arms in “No. No. Just because you know you can seduce me doesn’t change anything, Lorenzo. I want you, but I can’t be with you. I won’t be with you.”

“I refuse to accept that.”

She shook her head, tears falling fast again. “You’ll have to find a way. I get a choice in life I want to live, and you don’t get to take that choice away from me.”

He sighed in frustration. “Don’t do this again, Alexis. Don’t fuck with me like this.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Lorenzo. That’s the last thing I want to do. But I don’t want to get hurt either, and it’s really unfair for you to ask me to put myself at risk being with you.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“That’s exactly what you’re asking.”

Lorenzo walked to the window and looked out over the city. He crossed his arms and stood his full height. “You think I’d let something happen to you?”

“I don’t think you’d let anything happen to me, but you can’t see every threat coming. What if you’re busy protecting me from Sonny, and someone like Faith Roscoe or Manny Ruiz comes along and attacks? And it’s not just me...it’s Nikolas, Emily, Jax, or God knows who else.”

“So you’re serious?” he turned around, a look for shock and confusion painted over his face. “You want to leave me?”

“I want to be safe. I want to protect the people I love. I can’t have that and you at the same time.”

Lorenzo looked up at the ceiling, the onset of reality clear on his face. He was a reasonable man, at heart, as much as he protested otherwise.

“And when I leave the business?”

“When you leave the business, and you can all but guarantee the danger is behind you, then we have a chance.”

His hands moved to his hips. “A chance?”

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take you to get out. I don’t know what heinous things your work will force you to do. I don’t know if you or I will be the same people if you ever leave the business. How can you possibly expect a guarantee?”

“Because I’d wait for you forever.”

“You expect me wait forever?”

“As long as it takes. You’re mine goddammit! You’re not running off with another Ned because you don’t think I’ll follow through.”

“Lorenzo, I’m yours only because I give you permission to take me. You don’t get to force me to love you.”

He grabbed her arms. “Then love me in secret, like we’ve been doing. Love me in private.”

Alexis shook her head. “Today, your lawyer’s assistant saw us, tomorrow, someone else! This will only get harder to hide.” Especially as her belly would grow and grow…

“Alexis. I won’t let you leave me.” His voice broke.

Her hand grazed his bearded cheek, miserable not only for her loss, but at what she was doing to him. But she no longer had a choice...she had a baby to think about. “You’re not Luis, and I’m not Brenda. You’ll be the man I need you to be, or you’ll let me go.”

He shook his head.

She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. “I love you. And if you love me, you need to keep me safe. You need to respect my wishes. You need to protect me and the people I care about...You need to let me go.”

She kissed him again, one more time. Lorenzo stood frozen. Unmoving. His blue eyes looked helpless in a way she’d never see before. 

A part of her wanted so badly to tell him the truth. Maybe the baby would be the right motivation for him to get out of the mob. 

But what if it wasn’t? 

Kristina’s unbreathing body flashed through her mind. She couldn’t let that happen to the baby.

Alexis tore her eyes away and bolted for the door. She didn’t want him coming after her. She didn’t want a grand goodbye. She knew she’d end up pinned against the wall as he staked his claim, fucking every orifice she had, as if that was what made her his. She knew she’d end up getting thrown over his shoulder and taken to the hotel, or his military compound he thought of as a house.

She realized she forgot her jacket and purse, but she didn’t care. Her guards followed her as she ran by them in the hall. It was a good thing, too, seeing as how she had no phone, no keys, and no wallet to get herself home. She’d let them give her a ride home in what may well be one of their last acts as her guards.

Tears fell down her cheeks the whole way home. They didn’t stop when she made it up to her room. They didn't stop throughout the day while she lay in her empty bed avoiding the outside world. They didn’t stop when she forced herself to scarf down a few bites of food for the little one from the dinner Alice brought up for her. And they didn't stop when she was drifting off to sleep with fantasies of Lorenzo and their little Lo flashing through her mind.

The only thing that stopped the tears was a gentle knock at the door. “Alexis?”

She recognized Ned’s voice. She didn’t have it in her to stand up, she didn’t have it in her to yell out, nor did she have it in her to deal with her husband when she was grieving over the loss of her lover.

A strange thing to shed more tears for Lorenzo than Ned. 

She just lay there pleased that the tears stopped falling, even if only for a moment.

The door opened. “Alexis?”

“What do you want, Ned?” she wiped her face on her pillow.

“I need to talk to you about a couple of things. I came by earlier, but you didn’t sound well when I listened at the door.”

Great, how many other Quartermaines heard her tears? “Nothing’s changed, I still don’t feel well.”

Ned’s compassion mustn’t have been all that high, because he shut the door and walked to the bed despite her protest. She noticed he was carrying a large box in his hands. He sat on the bed where Alexis lay, and he put the box on the bed beside her. She didn’t sit up.

“This arrived for you earlier.” 

She nodded in acknowledgement. 

Ned’s face held more emotion than Alexis could recognize, though she did see his grief and his anger, maybe some sympathy, maybe some schadenfreude, but mostly disgust at her self-imposed misery. “I have a favor to ask you.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn’t in the mood to do her soon-to-be-ex-husband any favors, even if she was the one who hurt him.

“Grandfather and Mother have put a lot into this benefit on Valentine’s Day. They called in favors for me, they rearranged schedules, they wrote checks...I’d hate to disappoint them.”

Alexis sighed. Of course Ned wouldn’t want to disappoint his family. Of course he’d ask Alexis to sacrifice herself, her dignity, to attend a benefit she never wanted and pretend to still be happily in love with her husband. Of course her misery wouldn’t matter to him.

“Many of the RSVPs have come from your personal contacts, and I’d hate to blow them off…” he continued.

She closed her eyes and sighed deep. 

“You’re living here anyway, for the time being. I was hoping to keep up pretenses until you moved out, for the sake of the family and the foundation.”

“Fine,” she acquiesced.

“Really?”

She nodded. “Now I’d like to be alone, please.”

“Are you feeling ok? The baby?”

She shrugged, surprised he cared enough to ask. “My health is fine. The baby is fine.”

“I see, so it’s about the father,” he said, a little too self-satisfied. He had the brain not to rub it in her face when he was asking a favor.

“Please go.” Alexis rolled over until Ned walked out of the room. She heard him hesitate at the door, but when it finally closed, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She sat up and turned her attention to the box. Certainty that the box was from Lorenzo was the only reason she had any interest as to what was inside. She peeled off the tape and opened the flaps. A cursory glance inside showed her coat lying folded at the bottom, her purse resting on top, and another box next to it. On top of the box was a letter. She picked it up and read the messy, masculine scrawl.

 

Princess,

I decline your suggestion to end our relationship. You see, I’m far more like my brother and father than you wish to acknowledge, but I don’t think that’s what’s driving you away. As a matter of fact, I believe, twistedly enough, you thrive on being loved so possessively.

I acknowledge your concerns about your safety and the safety of the people you love. Therefore, I will keep our relationship secret for the time being as I work toward meeting your demands regarding my work. My guards will continue your protections in the meantime. 

However, I will continue to see you, and I will continue to fuck you and make love to you every chance I get. I’ve enclosed a little present for you, and I think you’ll know what to do with it. I intend on claiming you in every way I can.

Meet me at the hotel tomorrow afternoon.

Yours with love,  
Lorenzo

 

Alexis reached in and grabbed the smaller box. She opened it and peeked inside.

“Oh my God!” She tossed the box aside and reached in her purse to pull out her phone, “He’s lost his goddamn mind.”

She scrolled to her last dialed number and hit send.


	12. Intrusion

Intrusion 

_______________________________

 

“Good, you got my package,” Lorenzo’s voice answered the phone on the first ring.

Alexis snarled back, “I’ll tell you where you can put your package.”

“So you also got my package within the package. Don’t worry, princess, I know just where to put that.”

Alexis flushed at his innuendo, and looked over at the box. 

“I can hear you blushing, Ms. Davis. Does royalty not typically engage in such vulgar acts?”

“Don’t tease me.”

“Why not? I like you all fired up.”

“Because this isn’t funny, Lorenzo.”

“Ohh, Alexis, that package wasn’t a joke.”

“I know! That’s why I’m angry!”

“You don’t like the toys?”

“I don’t like that you’re not respecting my wishes.”

He sighed and spoke seriously for the first time, “Your wishes don’t make sense to me. You love me, Alexis. We don’t need to broadcast what we’re doing to have a relationship. I can keep you safe and protected while I’m getting out of the business.”

“If you ever get out.”

“I’m going to get out.”

“How can you say that? You were just telling me it might not be possible.”

“I’ve been busy, Alexis. We’ve been home for a full day, and you only graced me with your presence for an hour of it. I’ve been using the rest of that time constructively.”

She sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”

“Come see me tomorrow and I’ll tell you. Bring the box.”

She clicked her tongue. “No. I told you. We’re broken up until you’re out of the business.”

He made a frustrated grunt of a sound. “We’re not broken up. If you don’t come by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come to your place.”

“You CANNOT come here! Don’t you dare.”

“Why not? Ned won’t like me bedding his wife in his house?” Lorenzo spoke the words with startling hostility.

“This has nothing to do with Ned, and everything to do with you hearing the word ‘no.’ I get to say ‘no,’ and you have to listen.”

She could hear him shaking his head. “Look, princess, your words and your actions just aren’t lining up. You say you don’t want to be with me, yet you have sex with me every time you see me. And pretty damn good sex, I might add.”

“Just because I have no willpower to turn you away when your hands are on me, doesn’t mean I’m not making a valid point.”

“I told you in the letter, your points about your safety are completely valid. Come to the Metro Court tomorrow and we can discuss how to keep you safe and keep us together.”

“You’re a stubborn ass, Lorenzo. I won’t be going to the Metro Court.”

“Then, I’ll be going to you.”

“Then, I won’t be here. I’ll make sure I’m somewhere else tomorrow!”

She heard him sigh in frustration. She could be just as obstinate as him. “Fine,” he said. 

“Fine?” Did he just give in? There was no way Lorenzo would just give in. 

“Relationships are about compromise. If you don’t want to see me tomorrow, I can handle that. We’ll meet at an alternative time.”

It was her turn to sigh in frustration. There wasn’t going to be an alternative time.

She heard someone talking to Lorenzo, and he gave a muffled response as though he covered the receiver. Then she heard other sounds of activity around him.

“Lorenzo?”

“Sorry about that, princess.”

Alexis looked at the clock. It was nine p.m. “You sound busy for it being so late.”

He chuckled darkly, “I’m a king of the underworld, Ms. Davis. My day is just getting started.”

She thought of the last few times he went out at night while she was with him, and came back worse for the wear. “Please be careful, Lorenzo. You’re in that group of people I care about that I don’t want to see hurt. The ones I want to keep safe from your business.”

“You do care.”

“I do.”

“You love me.”

“You know I love you.” 

Alexis heard a car door open and close. Lorenzo must’ve been going somewhere. 

“I love you, too, princess.”

“You’ll be careful? Whatever you’re doing?”

He spoke seriously, “I wouldn’t do anything to risk us, sweetheart.”

Once again she was tempted to tell him about their baby. She wanted to give him another reason to be safe. But she couldn’t risk one she loved for the other. Lorenzo could make his own decision, but the baby relied on her.

“I’ll see you soon, princess,” he said gently.

“Goodbye, Lo.”

Alexis wiped fresh tears from her face. Though exasperated with the man, and no closer to ending things with him than she was at the beginning of the day, she felt better hearing his voice. Hearing his reassurances.

What Alexis craved was a hot bath to wash away all the tension of the day, but she read somewhere that pregnant women should be careful of not letting their body temperature get too high while taking a bath. Was a bath even worth it if it wasn’t hot? How was she supposed to measure the temperature of the bathtub? She looked down at her stomach.

“You’ve only been here a few weeks and you’re changing everything.” She rubbed her belly. “Don’t worry, little Lo. Mommy will make it work.”

Alexis changed her plans to a nice long shower. She let the hot water soothe her muscles, and she let her mind wander. How different everything would be for her from now on. As a child, her life was completely controlled by the adults around her. It never occurred to her how, in a healthy parent-child relationship, the child held just as much control, dictating when she could take a bath, when she could drink alcohol, what she could eat, how often she needed to eat, where she would live, who she could love. All these changes, and little Lo still hadn’t even come into the world yet.

She was only slightly more relaxed when she stepped out of the shower than when she got in. Alexis dried her hair and donned her robe. She hoped maybe she was relaxed enough to fall asleep. She had to run out of racing thoughts at some point. She walked out of the bathroom to her room.

“Oh my God!” Alexis jumped a foot in the air. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Lorenzo was standing at her bureau looking through her underwear drawer. He pulled out a black, lacy thing that obviously wouldn’t cover much, and smirked at an image in his head. Alexis strode toward him, pulling the underwear out of his hands. She shoved it back in the drawer and slammed it closed before spinning around and pointing a finger at him.

Lorenzo had a mischievous smile playing across his face. He wasn’t at all intimidated by her anger.

“I told you not to come here. What if someone sees you.”

“No one is going to see me. Your guards informed me everyone’s in bed. Except your husband, who’s at the jazz club.”

“And he might be home any minute. You need to go.”

Lorenzo shook his head, “No, we both know he doesn’t usually come home from the club until after midnight or later.”

Alexis rolled her eyes at how much information the man had about her life.

“But what I found most interesting, Mrs. Ashton, is that your husband has apparently moved a bunch of his things to another room, and that he didn’t sleep in your bed last night.”

“I didn’t know that when I accepted your protection, big brother would be moving in here, too. Tell me, are the guards here to keep me safe, or to keep you informed?”

“Both.” Lorenzo was unabashed about his intrusion. 

It only infuriated her more. “I’m getting my own guards.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes, I am, so I can have them throw you out of my house!”

“Come here and kiss me hello.”

“No!”

“Alexis…”

She turned around and headed for the door, “I’m calling Alice to…”

Lorenzo grabbed her around the middle and pulled her close, her back against his chest. His face buried in her neck as he breathed her in. The masculine scent that was so uniquely him surrounded her, and her body relaxed in a way no shower or bath could ever manage.

“I missed you,” he sighed. His lips pressed against the sensitive skin behind her ear.

“We saw each other this morning.”

“And you tried to break up with me.”

“I’m trying to do the right thing.”

He turned her around in his arms. His large, imposing body surrounded her. She got lost in the intensity of his vibrant blues. She knew she was giving in. 

“There is nothing more right in the world than this,” he said. 

His lips gently touched hers.

“Lorenzo.” In that moment, she was so grateful for his possessive obstinance. She kissed him back, wanting to feel the scratch of his beard on her face. Their tongues collided and started their ritual love making. His hands reached in her robe and wound around her naked body. His touch already so familiar, so necessary to her happiness. 

He was right. This was right. This was the only thing in her world that felt so right.

Alexis helped peel off his clothes one by one before she shed her robe. As their mouthes danced together, she took his hands in hers and tangled them up. She led him to her bed, hand in hand.

Lorenzo released her to pull back the sheets. A momentary stab of guilt for bringing another man into what was once Ned’s bed flash through her, but it was gone when Lorenzo sat down and reached for her. 

Alexis pushed him gently back to lay down, and climbed on top of him. She lay flat on his chest, wanting their naked bodies touching as much as possible. She kissed him, rubbing her body against him. 

His strong arms had a vice grip on her, perhaps fearful she might suddenly jump up and run away. But she wasn’t running in that moment. She was far too intoxicated by the man beneath her to go anywhere or do anything but make love to him.

She reached down for his big, thick cock and brought it to her opening. He released his hold on her to let her mount him. Alexis could tell he was anxious about letting her go, because his hands moved their grip down to where her hips met her thighs, giving her enough room to let her fuck him, but not allowing her to flee the bed.

She looked down at his sweet face. How could she ever think it was menacing? She loved that face. The way he looked at her...it was like he really believed her royalty, some greater being touched by the divine, gracing him with her presence. Why did his delusions make her feel so damn good? 

She lowered onto his cock, impaling herself on him. He filled her so full. His hands squeezed her curves, giving her hints of the physical effect of his restraint, letting her take control when he felt so vulnerable.

She bent down to take his mouth in hers. His hand grasped the back of her neck to keep their bodies plastered together. Alexis rocked her hips and moaned into his mouth. 

It was so much. It was too much. Feeling him in her, around her, physically, figuratively. She couldn’t take it. Tears fell down her cheeks again. 

This pregnancy should’ve been driving Lorenzo to think he’d fallen for a mad woman, but he just wiped her tears and kissed her deep, moving his body to the rhythm she set.

How could she possibly consider a life without him? “Don’t ever let me push you away,” she said. “Please, don’t let me go.”

Lorenzo grabbed her face in his hands and said with all the formidable conviction he could muster, “Never.” 

She kissed him deep and kept moving astride him. His hands were all over her, cherishing her, worshiping her, stimulating her. When she felt the pleasure build, she sat and rocked over him. She didn’t move fast because every sensation bordered on too much. She just wanted to feel him, to feel what his body did to her.

Her orgasm was seismic. Her body shaking, trembling, and convulsing over him. Lorenzo’s arms her pulled down onto his chest as he fucked up into her. Before her orgasm was over, he came hard along with her.

____________________________________

 

“Why is Ned sleeping in the other room?” asked Lorenzo. He stroked her hair as they lay otherwise unmoving in their postcoital bliss. Alexis had her head on his chest listening to his heart and the deep rumble of his voice.

“Because I told him it’s over.”

“When?”

“When I got home from Llanview.”

“And he just accepted it? He’s not fighting for you?” It was as though Lorenzo couldn’t comprehend the idea of rolling over for her to move on without him. 

“I think he’s feeling a little defeated. I told him I fell for someone else.”

“What does that matter? I wouldn’t let that get in my way. If you fell for another man, I would just fight harder for you.”

“Do you want him to fight for me?”

He chuckled, “I’d like to see him try.”

“It’s better this way. It’s been over between Ned and me for a long time.”

He sighed, “Why didn’t you tell me you broke it off with him?”

“Because I was breaking up with you, too.”

He scoffed as if her “breaking up” with him wasn’t a real thing. She needed to set him straight.

“Nothing has changed between us, Lorenzo. Your business is too dangerous for me.”

“You just told me not to let you go,” he said exasperated.

“You can’t listen to me when you’re naked. My brain is affected.”

“I think that’s the perfect time to listen to you.” He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her with his beard while he spoke, “We’ll keep this quiet until I can get out, but we’re not over. We’re never going to be over, princess.”

“You really think you can get out?” Alexis sat up and looked down at him. “What’s changed?”

Lorenzo smiled mischievously, “Go get the box I sent you earlier, and we’ll talk about it.”

“Why is it that when I talk about leaving you, you immediately go there?”

He shrugged as if it were obvious, “When you pull away, I get territorial.” 

“You’re trying to mark your territory? That’s not how relationships work.”

“Says who? Now get the box.” Lorenzo stood up from the bed and strode confidently to the bathroom as if he knew she’d just comply.

Alexis rolled her eyes but reached over to her nightstand and picked up the ‘gift’ he sent her. The gift seemed more for him than for her. She opened the box and looked at the graduated set of training plugs and the large container of lubricant. 

He came back with a couple of towels, one of them wet. He sat back on the bed and arranged pillows against the headboard for his comfort. He put another pillow on the other side of his lap. He tapped the pillow and said, “Lay down princess. Let your dark knight defile you.”

Alexis gave him a pouty look before anticipation and curiosity got the best of her. She crawled over his lap and lay on the pillow. She could feel Lorenzo vibrating beneath her in excitement. She wrapped her arms around the pillow and held tight. Her ass was on his lap, and she couldn’t tell if it made her feel like an errant child about to be spanked, or thanksgiving dinner about to be devoured.

“Did you lock my bedroom door?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Yes. Now relax.” He rubbed the muscles deep in her shoulders. It no longer hurt when he gave her a massage. Since Lorenzo came into her life, she’d been anything but neglected. 

Lorenzo wiped her down with the wet towel before he picked up the lube from the box and squirted it into his hand. He rubbed his hands together, so when they touched her ass it was warm. His hands glided smoothly over the swells of her bottom, rubbing, massaging, clearly in no hurry. Apparently the training was going to be just as fun as the act.

His left hand reached to her sex and massaged the lube around her pussy, though it wasn’t entirely necessary seeing as how she was soaking wet from the sex they just had. But she didn’t complain when he slid his fingers through her folds and caressed her clitoris. 

Alexis felt her body rocking back and forth between his hands. When his right hand reached for the lube again, she stilled. He poured it over her ass, and his hand went back to rubbing it in, except this time he was rubbing it in between her cheeks.

His finger rubbed around her hole, making sure it was thoroughly lubricated. Alexis had to admit, it felt damn good. There were so many nerve endings he was gently bringing to life. When she was at a precariously balanced state of stimulation and relaxation, his finger pushed in nice and steady.

“Oh, baby, that’s already easier than this morning.” 

She sighed as she got used to the intrusive sensation. His fingers on her pussy helped tremendously. 

Lorenzo pulled his finger in and out working more lube inside. When he was satisfied, he started moving his finger in a circular motion stretching her out.

“Is this ok?” he asked. She could hear the smile in his voice. 

“Mmmhmm,” she nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. 

“Good. So do you want to hear about my plans?”

Suddenly, she found her words. “Yes. Please.”

He kept up the movement, occasionally adding more lube. His fingers working her clit kept her stimulated, but she knew he was intentionally keeping her from climax. The state of desire and anticipation must’ve been what he was aiming for.

“I’ve had a few conversations with acquaintances that may be able to help with extricating myself from different aspects of my business.”

“Who?”

“The first people I spoke to are at some government agencies. I’ve asked them to help me find a suitable replacement for the arms trafficking I’ve been doing for them.”

“Any leads?”

“There is a guy in New York. Rumor has it he’s connected to an old Port Charles family and has ambitions to get back in the mix. He’s just lacking resources and territory. But he does have quite a bit of financial backing.”

“How?”

“He’s laundering through a media company he runs. He’s moving large amounts of cash with pretty impressive finesse, so the government isn’t clear where it’s originating from.”

“And you think...ah” Lorenzo silenced Alexis by pushing a second finger in her ass. His left hand rubbed her clit as her ass adjusted, distracting from the discomfort with all too consuming pleasure. Right before she was about to come, he backed off her pussy. “Oh my.”

“Oh my,” he repeated. He worked his two fingers in and out, then started the circular stretching again. “I called him…” he continued.

“The...media...guy?” Alexis said through huffing breaths. 

Lorenzo chuckled. “Yes. He’s interested in meeting. And he’s not just interested in the government and arms portion of the business.”

“No?”

“He’s interested in developing a ‘legitimate’ coffee trade in Port Charles.”

“To pick up where you left off? He wants to buy you out?”

“At a generous offer. He’s got a hard-on for Corinthos and this territory.”

“And…” Alexis groaned as Lorenzo worked up her clit again. “And…” She completely forgot what she was going to ask.

Lorenzo finished the thought for her. “And I don’t anticipate him being a threat, seeing as how half of the transaction is legal, and the other half would be done under the government’s watchful eye.”

Alexis was past rational thought. His two fingers were stretching her wide as the fingers of his other hand were pushing in her pussy. “Lo…” she forced herself not to yell out while in the Quartermaine house. 

“You’ve done so good, baby,” his sexy voice rumbled. “Come for me. I want you to feel so damn good.” 

His fingers worked faster over her pussy. Alexis realized Lorenzo knew how to make this training so enjoyable that she’d be begging for his cock in her ass by the end of it. She stifled her moans of pleasure as she came, squeezing him back and front. 

When her body relaxed, he pulled out his fingers, and said, “You’re amazing.”

That emptiness was there again. She tried to sit up, but he held her still. 

“We’re not quite done, princess.”

Alexis looked up at Lorenzo to find him smiling down at her. His joy at filling every part of her he could was radiating off his face. His cock was rock hard and pushing into her stomach. She couldn’t help but smile back. 

He turned his attention back to her ass and reapplied the lube. He took the smallest plug out of the box and pushed it in. It wasn’t as forgiving as his fingers, but it was also no bigger than the two fingers he just had in there. It wasn’t even that uncomfortable. He wiped her ass down with the wet towel.

“Is that ok?” he asked, looking sweetly in her eyes as his hand caress her bottom. 

She smiled back and nodded. 

“Good, come here.” Lorenzo pulled her up to straddle him in his sitting position. She leaned forward, taking some of the pressure off her sensitive bottom, and cuddled into his neck.

He stroked her hair and continued their conversation. “I also spoke with Jason Morgan. I told him about Carly.”

“I can’t imagine he took that well.”

“You know Jason, he doesn’t give much away. But the information didn’t seem like a surprise. He’s running the business while Sonny’s ill. I’m sure Carly is relying on Jason to take her side, but I think his loyalty might lie with Corinthos.”

“I’ve been wondering what side he’d take.”

Lorenzo kisses her forehead before he went on, “Jason found out my men were protecting you. He was curious about my relationship with Alexis Ashton.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him you and I have been doing business with the Quartermaines together and have become friendly. I agreed to help ensure your safety while Corinthos was delusional about your role in his raid.”

“He bought that?”

“It’s the truth. At least, part of the truth. He agreed not to help Sonny come after you. He doesn’t believe hurting you is what Sonny would want if he was well.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“I told you I’ll take care of you.”

She sat up, adjusting for the plug, to look him head on. She believed he’d do everything he could to keep her safe. She just wondered if it would be enough. 

His sweet, blue eyes had lost all their menace. No longer cold, they glittered warmly. She couldn’t resist kissing him while he was looking at her like that. 

“I love you,” she said.

He kissed her again pulling her tight against his body. “You’re not going to leave me?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not now, no. But my concerns aren’t going away, Lorenzo. You need to follow through with your promises. And we have to keep this quiet until you do.” 

“Absolutely.” He gave her a delighted smile. He kissed her sweetly, and then his lips moved down her neck.

And if he couldn’t follow through, then she’d have to leave town.

“Lorenzo…”

“Hmm?”

“There’s something I haven’t told you.”

He stilled with his lips at her throat. “What’s that?”

She pulled his face up to look at hers. “Ned and his family are throwing a benefit for the family foundation. They planned it to raise money for the work I’ve been doing. It’s actually a gift for me. They’re spending a lot of money, calling in a lot of favors, and going through a lot of effort for this.”

Lorenzo heaved a sigh. “So you and Ned are going to keep up public appearances until then?”

She nodded.

“How long am I going to have to see Mr. and Mrs. Ashton parading around high society?”

“It’s a Valentine’s Day benefit.”

Lorenzo chewed on his cheek in deep thought. “Monday? It’s only for a couple of days?”

She nodded.

“So we’re not going to spend the evening together on Valentine’s day?”

She shook her head.

“How about giving me the day then? Come visit me at the hotel before you run back to your husband for the benefit.”

“I didn’t realize you celebrated such holidays, Mr. Alcazar.”

“I don’t typically care about such things, but I have some extra motivation in my lap.” He adjusted Alexis on his lap so his cock rubbed against her.

“Maybe I’ll come up with a little present for you, then.” Alexis had a couple ideas playing out in her mind.

His lip curved, “I’ve got a couple of surprises of my own planned.”

“Oh? What did you have in mind?”

Lorenzo chuckled deviously, “Come here, and I’ll show you.”

He rolled them to the side and flipped her around so he spooned her from behind. His hands grasped her breasts, and his mouth was on her neck. His cock pushed in her pussy from behind, putting pressure on the plug still buried deep. 

“Oh wow,” she sighed squirming, loving the full sensation of being completely invaded.

“I’m going to fuck you senseless, then we’ll give your sweet, little ass a chance to rest.”

“Who needs rest?” Why would she care about rest when she felt so damn good?

But after two more orgasms from Lorenzo fucking her from behind, she was spent. When he pulled it out and cleaned her up, she fell asleep in his arms, utterly exhausted and completely sated. 

Lorenzo woke her at four a.m. for a sweet goodbye. She appreciated him being conscientious about keeping their affair a secret and getting out before everyone else woke up.

She was about to go back to bed when her eyes landed on the box of plugs. She walked over and picked up the second one, a little bit bigger than the first.

“Might as well get started on that Valentine’s Day gift.”

Alexis took the bottle of lube and the plug to the bed. She poured the lube in her hands and rubbed it all over her necessary pieces and parts. She grabbed the plug, lubed it up, and brought it to her ass. 

Fear had her hesitating. Maybe she should wait for Lorenzo so it wouldn’t hurt. 

But then there’d be no Valentine’s Day surprise. 

She steeled herself to continue the training. She brought her other hand to her pussy and imagined Lorenzo’s fingers touching her. Amazing how his scent surrounded her at just a memory. Her muscles relaxed almost immediately. 

Alexis pushed the plug in, much the way she remembered Lorenzo doing with the other, slow and steady, but not forcing the issue. When it was all the way in she sighed in relief. She felt very full and a little uncomfortable.

Too uncomfortable to sleep. She lay there tossing and turning, never getting used to the sensation.

Lorenzo made her orgasm after he put the last one in, maybe that was key? She tried touching herself, but she was so focused on what was behind her that she couldn’t get off.

She picked up her phone to call him.

“Hello, princess.” From the noise around him, it sounded like he was still driving home. “I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you for hours. Are you missing me?”

Embarrassment washed over her. She couldn’t tell him why she called. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“My voice is at your beck and call.” She noticed he dropped his tone to the deep rumble he used before he fucked her.

“Mmm, a girl could get used to that.”

“I’ll never get used to you wanting me, calling me after a night together, still wanting more.”

“How do you know I want more?”

“Your voice gets sexy and throaty when you want to fuck, princess. It’s irresistible.”

Alexis reached down and touched her pussy again, this time much more sensitive than the last. “Make me come, Lorenzo.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed hungrily. “My pleasure…”


	13. Red

Red 

_______________________________

 

The elevator was packed with hotel patrons riding up to their rooms. Alexis got corralled into the back corner and had the longest ride up to the twelfth floor. She looked to the mirrored wall to her right and could see a flush coming from deep under her skin. 

The reason for her blushing wasn’t the classic, red, v-neck dress with the thin straps, small waist, and short, flared skirt she was wearing. That was covered by a long overcoat, and no one could see. Neither was it the crimson lingerie beneath with all the straps and sexy garter. 

The flush was coming from her arousal. 

That morning, after she had her benefit dress couriered over to the the Metro Court, room 1201, she packed an overnight bag, got dressed in her Valentine’s Day lingerie and pretty little dress, and did her hair and makeup just so. But just before she left, she took out her bottle of lubricant and the largest plug she’d been practicing with the previous twenty-four hours, and donned it before heading out to the waiting car.

She rode uncomfortably stimulated all the way downtown. The vibrations and bumps of the moving car did interesting things to the plug in her bottom. By the time she started riding up the elevator, she was ready to see her man, and realized the Valentine’s gift was now as much for her as it ever was for him. 

Finally, after dropping the last couple off at the tenth floor, the elevator rose to the twelfth. She looked at her watch. Lorenzo was expecting her twenty minutes ago. She knew he was impatient to see her, both because he wouldn’t be with her tonight during the benefit, but also because he spent the last two days unexpectedly in New York meeting with the media mob boss to discuss selling off his businesses. 

Her heart warmed at what he was willing do for her, that the alternative of losing her was so absolutely unacceptable to him, that he’d upend his life at her request.

She’d never been loved that much. 

Her mother loved her father that much. She gave up her life to be with him. To bear his children. She put her children at risk for him. 

Kristin didn’t love Alexis enough to stay away from Mikkos. And Mikkos didn’t love Alexis nor Kristin enough to leave Helena and his criminal life behind.

But Alexis had that love from Lorenzo now. And she fully intended on giving that same love to her little Lo.

She pulled her key card out of her purse and opened the door. The only lights were coming from dozens of candles dispersed around the room. There were a half dozen vases full of the deepest of red roses she’d ever seen. Rose petals were spread over the bed. 

She found Lorenzo sitting on a chair near the sofa. Confident masculinity was oozing out of him as he sat with one leg resting on the other in a figure four. In his hand was a almost empty champagne flute. She knew he was drinking to ease his impatience at her tardiness. He wore a black suit and an open white collared shirt. His beard was trimmed, and his short hair combed back. 

Lorenzo Alcazar was sexy as hell, and the most fuckable man on the planet. It didn’t help that she had some of his DNA growing in her body, which made him even more attractive than normal. 

She was drawn to him like gravity. She dropped her bag on the floor and moved into his orbit. She stood in front of him, looking down at the lottery she’d won. 

She had no nerves, no self-consciousness at all when she pulled off her coat and tossed it aside.

His dark eyes took her in. He licked his lips in a way that told her exactly what he wanted to do to her...but she had other plans.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mr. Alcazar.”

“A very happy Valentine’s Day indeed, Ms. Davis.” She could see the bulge in his pants, and knew he was feigning calm as he sipped his champagne.

“The flowers and candles are beautiful,” she said.

“They pale in comparison.” He set his glass down on the table next to him, his eyes never leaving her. A smirk crept up on his face, and his body tensed into a coil, and she knew he was getting ready to launch an attack.

“Stay put,” she pleaded preemptively. “I have a surprise for you.”

He considered her words, and for a moment, she thought he might comply. But he had no intention of listening. 

“No,” he said. He moved so fast for such a big man. She didn’t think she was within his reach, but she underestimated his wingspan. His arm slid around her waist and pulling her tight against his body. His other grabbed hold of her hair, tipping her head back to a perfect angle for his mouth to seal over hers. Heat spread from her core out to all her limbs. Her body was jelly in his arms as his tongue caressed hers. She could feel his muscles through his shirt, and all she wanted to do was get his buttons open to touch his bare skin. 

He pulled back to look in her eyes. “Red is definitely your color, princess.” His hand released her hair and ran down the side of her body, caressing every curve along the way. 

“You like it?”

“Mmmhmm,” he mumbled as he kissed down her jaw. 

Her nerves jumped when his hand dropped to her ass, wondering if he’d find the plug. But his hand got distracted by the garter. He looked at her with hungry eyes as he snagged the garter strap and snapped it on her thigh.

She let out a squeak at the sting of the snap.

“Ms. Davis, did I just stumble upon my Valentine’s surprise?”

She nodded, “Part of it.”

“There’s more?”

“Are you ready to sit back down and let me give it to you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her one more time, rubbing his cock against her belly. 

“Sit!” she demanded. She was horny as hell when she arrived with that plug in her ass, and when he did things like that it made her all the more impatient to get fucked. She pushed him back, trying to get him in his chair. 

Lorenzo smiled at her lack of efficacy in pushing him. He was a solid wall to her dainty arms. A brief thought of pushing Luis off the balcony sobered her a moment. Lorenzo was right, it must’ve been the fear that gave her the strength to defend herself. She had no fear with Lorenzo, and no chance of making him budge in a war of muscle. So she used the only tools she had to get him to do what she wanted.

“Please, Lo.” She bit her lip and fluttered her lashes. “I want to show you something. I’ve worked hard on your gift all weekend.”

Lorenzo grumbled in defeat. She knew he’d give her anything she wanted if she just asked the right way. He finally complied and sat back to watch her little show. Before he settled, he grabbed the bottle of champagne on the table next to him and filled his glass. 

“Thirsty?” he asked, offering her the glass. 

“Not for champagne.” 

She watched him adjust himself in his pants, but otherwise his face was set in that intense stare that was such a damn turn on. He drank back half the glass.

Alexis was enjoying this control he acquiesced to her. “You like my dress?” she asked, twirling around for him.

He nodded quietly watching her move. 

“Do you want to see what’s underneath?”

He nodded again, and his head tilted, as though it might help him see under her skirt.

Alexis turned around and pulled her zipper down slowly. She peeked over her shoulder and watched him wet his lips. The zipper ended at the top of her ass, and she let the dress slide a little down so he could catch a glimpse of what lie beneath.

She turned around again to face him head on. She pulled the straps off her arms one by one, and held the dress up by her hands around her breasts. 

His pants were tented so high, her bottom quivered in anticipation. He was bigger than the largest plug. She wondered if she might’ve gotten in over her head.

“Distracted, princess?” he smirked, knowing exactly where she was looking.

She shrugged, beyond the point of shame in her admiration of the size of his cock. She dropped her dress to the floor and stood in her red lingerie and heels with her hand on her cocked hip. 

Lorenzo’s smirk dropped off his face, as his mouth opened to suck in a breath. Alexis looked down at what she wore. The bra pushed her tits up with lacy cups. The garter belt sat on her hips with straps hooked to her nude thigh-highs. But the pièce de résistance were the panties. They consisted of a series of straps that matched the garter, a small piece of lacy fabric that matched the bra cup to cover the front of her sex, and a completely open backside. 

She gave Lorenzo a moment to take in the front. The open backside of the panties would make it very clear what was in her bottom the moment he caught a glimpse. But she wanted to enjoy Lorenzo’s mouth hanging wide open with panting breath before she showed the rest.

“Distracted, Mr. Alcazar?” 

“Jesus Christ.” He rubbed his bearded jaw and fidgeted in his seat. It was obvious he was using every bit of restraint he had not to dive at her again. “Red really is your color.”

Alexis pouted her lips and tossed her hair giving him a bit of a tease. She should’ve known better than to tease a man like Lorenzo.

“Fuck it,” he said, tossing inhibition aside, he reached for her wrist with his long arms and yanked her down to his lap. His mouth was on hers again, and his greedy hands were moving all over her body in a fury, groping her breasts, squeezing her hips, and kneading her thighs. He tangled his hand in her garter as he shoved his tongue down her throat.

“Two days is too fucking much without you, princess. Never again.”

His delirium was contagious, like radiation absorbing deep in her bones. She could hear herself moaning, but it was almost as though it was coming from someone else, so out of control she was in his arms. Her hands ran through his thick, soft hair, trying to pull him closer, as if that were possible. 

When he pulled away from her mouth to take in the sight of her body in his arms, he let out a fierce growl. His arms curled her body up, and his mouth crushed down on her lace-covered breast. His lips sucked, his tongue licked, and his teeth nipped at her hypersensitive nipples. Alexis could feel her pussy quivering and her ass squeezing the plug, so overcoming by his ravishing. 

“Ohhh! Lo!” she yelled. Her climax shocked her. He wasn’t even touching her pussy. She’d never came before without some sort of stimulation to her sex.

He yanked down her bra cups sucked up the flesh of her nipples while she was mid-orgasm. Alexis dug her nails into his back as she whimpered his name over and over. 

“Damn, woman. You’re so fucking sensitive, so responsive. I’ll never get enough of you.” He reached down to her panties, and his hand stilled when he realized they were open at the crotch. “Holy shit.”

Lorenzo’s hand rubbed over her exposed sex, then a finger dipped in her soaking wet pussy. A shuddering breath left his lips, as though the sensation was just as pleasurable for him as for Alexis. She was just getting over the last orgasm, and he was about to set her off again. His finger pulled out and pushed back in over and over, until he once again stopped abruptly. 

Slowly, he pushed another finger inside and turned his wrist around deep in her pussy she could feel his fingers push back toward her ass. The small bit of flesh between her ass and pussy couldn’t hide the plug from his knowing hands.

His blue eyes locked with hers, his expression that of a man walking the line of sanity. “Princess,” he said with a rugged, harsh voice. “What have you done?”

Alexis just stared back panting. A buzzing filled her brain, and all she could do was wait.

Lorenzo stood with Alexis cradled in his arms. He carried her to the side of the sofa and sat her down on the arm in front of him. He held her face in both his hands and repeated his question. “What have you done, princess?”

Her mind cleared enough to bite her lip and shrug innocently.

“Have you kept up your training without me?”

She nodded.

His cock was hard between them. A thick, heavy rod pressing against her belly. Fear jolted through her realizing what was about to happen. Lorenzo, usually so in control, looked one step away from going mad. 

Again, she used the only effective tool in her arsenal to manage him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love,” she said. “Just, please, be careful. You’re a lot bigger than the plug.”

Her plea must have hit some sentimental nerve in his brain. His face softened and he exhaled his tension. “You did this for me?”

She nodded. “For us. I think I’m ready for you.”

He sighed, “God, I love you,” then kissed her gently. Her own nerves calmed knowing he was in control again. He kissed her on the forehead and said, “I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

“I know you will.”

He smiled the gentle, doting smile of a man in love. “Turn around, baby. Bend over the couch.”

Alexis did as she was told. She realized in a few months her stomach would be so big she wouldn’t be able to lay face down on anything.

“Oh, princess. What a fucking vision you are.” His hands glided over her bottom. His fingers slid under the straps over her panties. Finally they came to the base of the plug. Lorenzo moved it around in a circular motion testing how well she stretched herself out. “How does it feel?”

“Full,” she said.

He chuckled. “No pain?”

“Not even a little. I was careful.”

“Good girl. Now don’t move, I’ll be right back.” She heard Lorenzo move to the bed and open a drawer. Then he went to the bathroom and turned on the sink. Moments later he was back with a bottle of lube and a couple of towels.

“Let’s get this out,” he said. He was gentle as he pulled, more so than Alexis had been on her own. 

Anticipation built as she heard him taking off his clothes. When he was naked, he moved behind her and let his heavy cock weigh down on top of her ass. He squirted a generous amount of lube from the bottle and applied it to himself and her bottom. He was just as thorough, if not more so, than the first time he put a plug in there. 

She waited for him to line himself up, but was surprised by him bending over her back and raining sweet kisses down her spine. “You ready?” he asked.

Alexis turned her head, looked over her shoulder, and nodded. She took a long deep breath to relax her body. She needn’t have worried. Lorenzo massaged her so gently and rubbed her pussy below so lovingly, her muscles couldn’t help but relax. 

His hands settled at her hips and his cock lined itself up. Slowly, far slower than any plug, Lorenzo pushed in. He was bigger than the plug, but he felt so much better. Maybe it was his body heat, maybe it was his size, or maybe it was just because it was Lorenzo and any touch he bestowed on her gave her pleasure. It didn’t matter. It felt good. He inched in until she felt his pelvis against her bottom. He took quick grunting breaths and held still.

“I’m ready, Lo,” she reassured him. 

“Ha!” he huffed through ragged breath. “I need a minute, baby, or this won’t last long.”

She smiled, pleased with herself for having such an affect on her man. 

Slowly, Lorenzo pulled out. And just as slowly, he pushed back in. “Is this ok?” he asked.

“It’s good.” It was strange, and foreign, but good.

Lorenzo folded his body over hers and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her from behind in a tight grasp while he fucked. It was so much better than getting fucked by the plug. The arm of the couch beneath her rubbed against her clit, stimulating her already overwhelmed senses. His mouth rained kisses across her shoulders and in her neck. He whispered, “I love yous” and “Te amos” and “hermosa” over and over in her ear.

All Alexis could do was lay there and get fucked. She was so beautifully helpless in his arms. Strange how he made what she’d always thought of as a raunchy act into the most tender love making she’d ever had. 

His hand dropped to her pussy. His movement from behind dictated his rhythm in front. His speed was increasing as he words turned to huffing breaths and grunts. 

“Alexis…” he could barely say her name. She knew he was going to come.

“I’m almost there.” 

Lorenzo rubbed her clit to catch her up. When Alexis felt her climax start and her body contracting, she screamed out, unable to contain the flood of sensation and emotion overwhelming her. Her sounds were drowned out by a thunderous growl behind her. Lorenzo’s arms squeezed her so tight she couldn’t breathe. She could feel his cum shooting deep inside. 

“Mine. You’re all fucking mine,” he mumbled in her ear as he gave his last thrust. “Every bit of you is mine.”

Lorenzo’s arms braced them for impact when they collapsed. They lay hung over the arm of the couch, rugged breaths synchronizing. 

Alexis had no doubt or objection as to whom she belonged, body and soul.

“Hey,” he rumbled in her ear.

“Hey,” she mumbled back.

“How are you? You ok?”

She laughed, “I’m just fine. But I have a feeling I might be a little sore in the morning.”

Lorenzo’s self-satisfied chuckle warmed her belly. Or maybe it was his baby warming her belly. Or his sperm.

“I’m going to pull out. Ready?”

She braced herself for the empty feeling. She felt like a limp, wet noodle when he stood up behind her and pulled out his cock. He was still hard and she knew he could probably go again if she wasn’t so spent. 

Using the towel, Lorenzo cleaned them up in his delicate way. Then, gravity shifted, and he was carrying her cradled to their rose-covered bed. He laid her down softly before joining her under the blankets. Alexis found some degree of control over her muscles enough to curl up in his arms and press her body against him.

“Do you want some fruit or champagne?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Just you.” She kissed him.

Everywhere his skin touched gave her the most blissful pleasure. He was warmth and comfort and passion personified. She couldn’t believe she lived so much of her life without him. She refused to believe there was a chance of a future without him.

“Lorenzo…”

“Hmm?” He caressed her cheek with the gentle tips of his fingers. 

“I can’t lose you.”

His blue eyes sparkled when the thought processed in his mind. “Good. You won’t.”

“Promise you’ll get out of your business quickly and safely. Promise me, please. I can’t lose you.”

“I promise. We’ll have a long, safe, happy life together.”

She accepted his reassurance. A strange thought occurred to her. What on earth would Lorenzo do with his time if he wasn’t menacing society? 

“What will you do when you get rid of your business?”

A wistful smile played across his lips and eyes. “I’ve been thinking about that. I’ll still have some legitimate businesses to run, but I was thinking about a few things that might take up my spare time while you get back to being the best lawyer in town. I thought about teaching, research, writing...I don’t quite know quite yet.”

“An academic? I can’t wait to see that.”

He nuzzled her forehead. “Would that make you proud? Being with an academic rather than a criminal?”

“Proud? Where’s that coming from?”

He shrugged. “I was thinking that even if you and Ned weren’t keeping up appearances and you could go to this benefit with me, there might be some shame arriving with a criminal. An academic is a bit more respectable.”

“I wouldn’t show up to a benefit with you because I’m afraid to get killed associating with you. It has nothing to do with pride. But, honestly, Lorenzo, academics don’t kill people. And they don’t make weapons that kill people. I’d be proud that you got out of a business that trades in human life. I wouldn’t care if you were an academic or stay-at-home dad or a bathroom attendant.” 

He laughed. “Could you imagine me a stay-at-home dad?”

Yes. “I could imagine anything if it meant I got to have you without your business.”

He nodded and kissed her softly. 

“Speaking of…” she said. “How was your meeting with that media guy. What was his name?”

“Wells. Derek Wells. It was productive. We’ve made a few informal agreements. He and my lawyers are going to work out the details, then I’ll sign a large portion of my life away. I just need to figure out what to do with the territory and the other trades, and I’m out.”

“Do you have any ideas about what to do with that?”

“I’m kicking around a few ideas. That’s the more sensitive piece of this puzzle. When my plan solidifies, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Are we thinking weeks? Months? Years?”

“Months, probably. A few months.”

Before the baby…“Thank God.”

“You’re stuck with me, Ms. Davis. Forever. You know that, right?”

She nodded, grinning. “I look forward to it.”

His lips pressed softly against hers. “When are you coming home with me? I want you in my house.”

“I’m not sure how safe it would be for me to show up at your compound anytime soon.”

He chuckled. “You keep saying ‘compound’ like it’s some sort of prison.”

“I imagine high cement walls and barbed wire.”

“Barbed wire?” he laughed. “Do you think I sleep on a military cot with an AK-47 under my pillow?”

“In a camouflage tent in the yard.”

He cupped her cheek and gave her his hundred watt, dazzling smile. The joy in his eyes took her breath away. “Come home with me tonight. We’ll sneak out of the city in a limo, no one needs to know who’s inside.” 

Alexis chewed her lip, mulling it over. She did want to see where her baby’s father lived. She wanted to know if little Lo would get his own military cot when he grew out of the crib.

“Please, baby,” he said. “I want to make love to you in my bed...I want your scent on my pillow...I want your cum on my sheets.” 

She nodded, “I’ll come. I trust you’ll keep me safe.”

“I’ll prove you right believing in me. I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

“I need you alive, too, you know.”

“I’ll do my best. I need to be alive to enjoy my princess.”

And for the first time since getting pregnant, she seriously considered telling him about their baby. But through her love-addled brain, a memory of her mother’s throat getting slit popped up in her mind. 

Not yet, she told herself. Wait until you KNOW it’s safe.

Alexis pushed the unpleasant memory of her mother away along with making the decision to tell Lorenzo the truth. Instead, she got lost in his kisses and his sweet mouth trailing down her body.

________________________________

 

“Humphf,” grunted Ned, handing Alexis a club soda. “You traded your Quartermaine pearls for diamonds?”

Alexis touched the necklace Lorenzo placed on around her neck as he watched her get ready for the benefit. It was one of the most adorable, sweet, and intimate moments in her life. After they showered together, he watched her put on her makeup and style her hair. He admired her getting dressed with the same enthusiasm as he watched her undress when she arrived. And just before she left, he pulled out a Cartier box that held a necklace with two strands of diamonds knotted together. 

She didn’t want to leave him and go to the party, but her sense duty still held a strong pull. Lorenzo made it easy on her, too. She thought he’d put up more of a fight and convince her not to go, but since she agreed to go home with him that night, he seemed less insecure of his hold on her than normal.

“I’ll give Lila back her pearls, don’t worry,” Alexis told Ned.

“I’d rather you just didn’t have an affair and get knocked up with some other man’s baby.”

Alexis sighed, “Look, Ned. If you want me to keep up appearances, then you need to stop being an ass, or I’m leaving. I don’t have to put up with being Quartermained anymore.”

Ned’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Quartermained? You verbed my family name?”

“Don’t Quartermaine me, and I won’t Cassadine you.”

He put his hands up in resignation. “Fine. We’ll call a ceasefire for the evening.”

Alexis took a drink of the club soda and yearned for a shot of vodka. 

“How are you feeling?” asked Ned, eyeing her still flat belly. Alexis smiled somberly, he was always a better friend than a husband.

“Pretty good, so far. No nausea or anything, but a little sensitive. How are you?”

He nodded and took a drink of his champagne. “I’m better than I thought I’d be, honestly. Maybe it just hasn’t sunk in yet. Maybe I’m in denial. Maybe you were right, and things have just been so bad between us for so long, it’s almost a relief.”

“I’m sorry,” she touched his arm.

Ned looked her up and down in her white halter dress that Lorenzo helped clip around the back of her neck. “Well, I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy, or the freedom, but it suits you, Alexis. You’re glowing.”

Alexis did her best not to grin like a lovestruck teenager. She was certain her blissful joy at being loved by Lorenzo was contributing to the glowing effect Ned spoke of, but she knew Ned wasn’t as ‘fine’ as he was pretending to be, so she stifled her happiness as she was wont to do with the Quartermaines.

“Alexis!” a man called from the elevator. Clint Buchanan was walking toward her with another man and woman following behind.

“Hello.” Alexis found herself transforming into her work persona almost instantaneously. She greeted Clint with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad you could make it. This must be your brother, the police commissioner?”

“Yes, Indeed. Bo, Nora. Alexis Ashton and her husband Ned.”

After everyone shook hands and gave their greetings, the men naturally fell into conversation, and Nora moved swiftly to Alexis with a beautifully genuine smile on her face. 

“Alexis, I just wanted to say how excited I am about the work you’re doing in our Llanview schools. If there is any way I can be more involved I’d love to volunteer my time and expertise.”

“That’s a generous offer. I know you by reputation as a lawyer, of course, and know how valuable your time is.”

Nora laughed, “Please don’t judge me on my reputation. Who knows what rumors have made it all the way to New York.”

Alexis laughed thinking of the rumors floating around about her. “That’s fair.”

Alexis found Nora Buchanan to be a kind and warm soul, wiping away her professional persona with her smiling eyes and familiar nature. 

“Seriously, Alexis. I’d like to help the work you’re doing in any way I can. Bo and I have our son Matthew in the public school system because we don’t like the idea of him growing up in the local private school system that lacks diversity and is stewing in unfair privilege. But the district needs resources. The schools around Angel’s Square have so much potential, but teacher turnover is at an all-time high, and they’re sorely lacking in modern technology.”

“There’s more than enough work to share, Nora, and with your family’s generous donations, I’d love for a representative to ensure the money is being used most effectively.”

Nora’s joy at being involved was evident all over her face. “Thank you. Llanview really is a beautiful place to live. We just want to make it even better for our children.”

“So,” said Alexis with more than just idle curiosity, “Llanview is good place to raise children?”

“Absolutely. Crime isn’t quite as high in Llanview as many places in New York.”

“Like Port Charles?” Alexis rolled her eyes.

Nora nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, I keep plenty busy at work with criminal cases, but generally, the kids are pretty safe on the streets with adequate supervision.”

“I certainly know you keep busy. Ever since that Todd Manning case, I can’t imagine you ever run low on referrals.”

“You know, I’m expanding my practice in the next couple of months. I know you and Ned are well established in Port Charles, but if you ever want to talk about a partnership at my firm, we’d be lucky to have the fearsome Alexis Davis Ashton as a colleague.”

“That’s a generous offer. Be careful, Nora, I just might be apt to consider it.”

Nora looked at her with questioning eyes. “You’d consider a move to Llanview?”

Alexis shrugged, “I find myself becoming disenchanted with Port Charles and its organized crime. I’ve been considering alternative options recently. Moving back to the city was my initial thought, but maybe I should rethink a nice place to raise a family, like Llanview.”

“Are you and Ned planning on having a family? You’re not expecting, are you?”

Alexis decided to test the water of Nora’s offer. “No, Ned and I aren’t planning on having a family,” she said gently.

Nora raised an eyebrow. “I see. Well, if you ever decide to consider Llanview, I can show you around.”

“I appreciate that…” Alexis lost her voice when the elevator doors opened.

A tall, dark, and handsome man stepped out of the elevator wearing a black tuxedo with a long tie. His beard was trimmed and his blue eyes were shining.

“Who’s that?” said Nora with her eyebrows up and mouth slightly open. “We don’t have anything like that in Llanview.”

“Um. Lorenzo Alcazar.” As though he heard her speak, Lorenzo’s eyes connected with hers. Though he kept his mouth still, the corners of his eyes couldn’t help but smile.

“I know the name,” said Nora. “Venezuelan mafia?”

Alexis nodded. 

“One of the reasons you’re considering a move?”

“Yep.” THE reason.

“Well, Alexis, if all the mobsters in Port Charles look like that, I can see why you’ve made quite a career representing them.” Her tone was all admiration and no judgement. 

“They don’t all look like him. But if you’re partial to dimples, you might overlook the stature of some of the others.”

Nora giggled knowingly.

“Alexis,” said Bo coming up behind Nora and wrapping an arm around her waist. “Would you mind if I stole my wife away for a dance?”

Alexis smiled at how sweetly the two looked at each other, years of love and adoration emanating out from them.

“By all means.”

Bo squeezed his girl and lead her away. 

“How about a dance, Alexis?” whispered Ned. She hadn’t realized he was next to her. “For appearances sake.”

Alexis nodded and hooked an arm around Ned’s as he led her out to the floor. One hand moved to her waist, and the other grasped her right hand, before he led her in a gentle sway. 

Bo and Nora cuddled together with bright smiles on their faces. He twirled her around like they’d been dancing together forever. Nora kissed his neck and doted on him like he was the only man in the room. 

The gaping space between Alexis and Ned couldn’t have been more obvious. There was a strange formality between the two. And his hands were both so familiar and so foreign, especially the one resting on her bare back. It was the wrong man’s hand. 

“Do we not have anything to talk about anymore?” asked Ned after an extended silence. Alexis hadn’t even noticed they weren’t talking. 

“We’ve never been much for the superficial,” she said. “Do you expect us to start now? Or would you prefer we discuss the terms of our separation?”

“You’re right. We’ll stick to silence. Small talk is an unnecessary effort for two people who know each other so well.” But Ned caught himself, “Or do we?”

Alexis looked over Ned’s shoulder to find Lorenzo watching them from the bar, his typical hostility appearing to radiate toward Alexis. But she knew that tonight, his ocular vitriol was targeted at her husband. 

“I guess not,” she responded, not taking her eyes off Lorenzo. “We both changed in the last few years.”

“Even more so in the last few months,” Ned corrected. 

Lorenzo seemed to calm with the extended eye contact. Alexis imagined his knowing that her thoughts were on him was some consolation to his isolation. She wished she could be dancing with him. She wished there was some excuse for him to have his arms around her in public. 

Ned swayed her around, and her eyes lost Lorenzo. But, apparently, Lorenzo’s found someone else. 

“What the hell is he doing here?” said Ned. 

“Who?” Alexis played dumb. 

“Alcazar. Grandfather must have invited him. Jesus Christ. No wonder you want to leave this family. I can’t believe he invited a man who’s made no secret of wanting you dead to a party we’re throwing for the work you’re doing.”

Alexis was surprised by his defense of her, and felt no small amount of guilt that her feelings for the man he was defending her from were the reasons they were divorcing. 

“It’s fine, Ned. It’s not the first time Edward’s done this. Besides, Lorenzo and I made our peace. He’s welcome here as long as he’s writing checks for the kids.”

“You ‘made your peace?’ What does that mean?”

“It means he doesn’t want me dead anymore, and I don’t see his brother trying to throw me off a balcony every time I look at him.”

“If he doesn’t want you dead, then why is he looking over here with murder in his eyes?”

Alexis turned to Lorenzo. She recognized the jealousy in his blue eyes. “No clue. Just ignore him.”

She watched Lorenzo shoot back his drink and walk toward the balcony, tension rolling through his shoulders. 

“God, I’m sorry, Alexis.”

“Don’t, Ned.”

“No. I can see it now. Every time my family belittled you, condescend to you, minimized your needs. And I let them. I helped them. Hell, I became them. No wonder you ran screaming.”

“Stop. I don’t need apologies. I’ve made my mistakes, too.”

“You know what I’m going to do?” Alexis could see the look of determination in Ned’s eyes. It made her nervous. The last thing she needed was a confrontation between Ned and Lorenzo.

“Please don’t do anything.”

“I’m going to talk to grandfather. He needs to see he can’t treat people this way. Or even if he does, that I won’t be putting up with it any longer.”

“Ned, don’t. I don’t want you to. Please don’t do this for me.”

The pain Ned had been hiding all evening broke through whatever wall he erected around it. “I might be beyond winning you back, Alexis, but I’m not beyond getting my old self back. I will be talking to Grandfather.”

As the song ended, Ned kissed her absent-mindedly on the cheek as if by habit, and made a beeline for his grandfather. This was part of their problem for so long. Ned refused to hear her. 

Not wanting to see the fallout of Ned’s confrontation with Edward, and wanting to check on a jealous Lorenzo, she walked to the balcony. She opened the doors and stepped out quickly, hoping no one noticed where she went. The balcony doors were always kept closed in February to keep the cold weather out. She hoped no one else would need the fresh air. 

Lorenzo’s tall silhouette was back lit by the Port Charles skyline. He peered over his shoulder to observe his visitor, then upon recognition of Alexis, he turned back to the city. Alexis walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist. The cold air had her squeezing him for warmth and comfort. 

She hesitated when she felt hard metal in his waistband. She knew it was a gun. Lorenzo reached behind to pull it out and set it on the thick cement rail of the balcony. He grabbed Alexis’s hand and pulled her arms back around him.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” she said.

“Edward invited me. I debated whether or not to come. A choice of two tortures.”

“Tortures?”

“Either to be without you at home, or to see you with another here.”

“I may have been dancing with Ned, but I wasn’t with him.”

“I know. You looked like two cousins forced to dance together at a quinceañera.”

“Then why were you so jealous?”

Lorenzo turned his head again to look down at her out of the corner of his eye. “Because he’s allowed to touch you in public. Dance with you. Parade you around as his. You’re not his. You’re mine.”

A frosty breeze made Alexis shudder. The movement pulled Lorenzo out of his self-indulgent moping and he turned around. 

“You shouldn’t be out here in this cold.” He pulled off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The involuntary moan that escaped her mouth at being embraced by Lorenzo’s warmth and scent broke through his frown. A reluctant smile graced his beautiful face, and Alexis watched in awe. “You really are handsome, Lorenzo. Absolutely gorgeous.”

Now he was thoroughly amused. He chuckled sweetly and kissed her lips.

“I was wishing it was you. I was wishing I was in your arms in there,” she said.

“I’m sorry, baby. I want to make all your wishes come true.”

“You’re working on it, right? Maybe the next one of these things I attend will be on your arm.”

He laughed and tucked her flyaway hair behind her ears, “Could you imagine the scandal? The Quartermaines would lose their minds.”

“I don’t care.” She pulled at his shirt feeling a little desperate. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You’d be out of your business, and we’d have our family, and everything we could possibly need.”

“Our family?” he grinned. “Are you wanting to meet Diego?”

Alexis blinked. “Of course. Of course I do. He’s your son.”

“You really are a dream come true.” He dipped his head and kissed her. Alexis was immediately transported back to their room where they just spent the day making love.

Lorenzo rumbled deep in his chest. “Princess if you want to return to the party with your dress still intact, you better lower that leg.”

Alexis realized her leg was wrapped around his as though she was going to climb him like a tree and mount him. Even recognizing the position she was in, she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to stop. She was no longer a passive participant in her own life. She grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down again, kissing him with everything she had. 

That was all the permission Lorenzo needed to lift her by the ass and carry her to the wall. Lorenzo was yanking up her skirt, but growled in frustration that the fabric kept falling back down. Alexis helped hold up her dress so he could get his zipper down. 

Finally, he moved her panties aside and shoved his cock in her pussy, and dammit, it felt so right. So good. Lorenzo nailed her against the wall, fucking her hard and fast. Alexis urged him on, telling him how good he made her feel, telling him how badly she wanted him, telling him faster and harder and more, more, more.

Alexis covered her moans with Lorenzo’s mouth when she came hard and wet. When Lorenzo’s cum filled her pussy, she was the one feeling triumphant that she could make him lose that way.

When Lorenzo helped her dismount, he was chuckling to himself. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped down their mess.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

He shrugged and smirked when he said, “I’d like to see Ned try to get close to you again without smelling me all over you.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. Lorenzo helped her adjust her dress and hair. She wiped her lipstick off his mouth as he fixed his tie. 

“I better get back in there,” she said. “Ned’s fighting with Edward about inviting you. I should really run interference.”

Lorenzo laughed again. “Ned would really be pissed about Edward inviting me if he knew what we just did.”

Alexis hit him. Lorenzo might’ve found joy in Ned suffering, but Alexis certainly didn’t. Lorenzo pulled her in and kissed her once more, slow and sensual. 

“I’ll wait a minute to come in after you,” he said.

Alexis nodded and touched his cheek one more time before walking back into the room. Edward and Ned were by the bar pointing fingers at each other and arguing in hushed voices. Alexis sucked in a breath and made her way over to run interference.

“You never think how your plans affect the people around you. The people you’re supposed to care about,” said Ned.

“That’s not how I see it, at all. Alcazar said they’re getting along swimmingly. I helped them bury the hatchet…”

“Alexis,” said Ned when he finally noticed her. “I was just telling Grandfather how insensitive he’s been throwing you and Alcazar together so repeatedly.”

“Now, now,” said Edward, “I hear things are going fine between you and Alcazar. No damage done.”

“It’s true, Mr. Alcazar have found a way to peacefully coexist.”

“See?” 

“Grandfather, it was really no thanks to you,” said Ned.

“If I hadn’t thought to get Alexis handle to the transaction, who knows the hostility she’d still have to endure from him.”

“Even if Alexis is getting along with him, he still looks exactly like the man who killed her sister. The man who tried to kill her. Have you thought of discomfort you’re putting my wife through?”

“Ned, please…” said Alexis.

“Mr. Ashton, I assure you, I have no intention of making Alexis uncomfortable,” a dark voice spoke behind her. 

Alexis turned quickly, and her heart jumped rapidly in her chest. She was glad she was facing away from Ned when she saw Lorenzo, because she felt the heat rise in her cheeks at the sight of the man whose cum was still fresh in her sex. 

If one wasn’t familiar with Lorenzo, they might look at him and see a face of complete indifference, but Alexis knew the face of her man even better than she knew the face of her husband. She could see the sparkle in Lorenzo’s eyes at her reaction to him.

“Alcazar,” said Ned stoically. Alexis noticed neither man extended a hand to the other. 

“Lorenzo!” said Edward. He grabbed Lorenzo’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. “I’m glad you came. It’s a good night to celebrate the close of escrow on those properties.”

“Also a good night to raise money for schools in need,” said Lorenzo. Lorenzo pulled his hand away from Edward and extended it to Alexis, palm up in the most gentlemanly fashion. “Hello, Alexis. I hope my presence here isn’t too much a disruption for you. I truly want to support the work you’re doing.”

“Thank you, Mr. Alcazar.” Alexis took a breath before she placed her hand in his. Warmth and electricity flowed between their fingers, and more so yet when he covered her hand with his other. She spoke to his hands because she was too afraid everyone would see through her if she looked in his eyes, “You’re causing no disruption, and your donations are much appreciated.”

“It looks like I’m outvoted then,” said Ned. “It seems as though I’m the only one hanging on to old resentments.”

“Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you, Ned,” said Edward.

Lorenzo finally let go of Alexis’s hand. “As a show of good faith, I’d like to ask Ms. Davis for the next dance.” Lorenzo looked challengingly at Ned, “You don’t mind me stealing your wife?”

Ned raised an eyebrow at Lorenzo, then flashed a confused look in his wife’s direction. Alexis had no air and no words. 

“Well, see?” said Edward, “How nice. Everyone is getting along. This is a good thing for the family.”

Lorenzo gestured for Alexis to lead the way to the dance floor. Alexis looked once more at Ned’s furrowed brow and flushed. Without wanting a bigger scene, Alexis walked ahead of Lorenzo. Lorenzo caught up to her in two strides, and his hand came to rest on her bare lower back in a much too familiar and too possessive way.

Her body was at war with itself, wanting to pull away and hide, and at the same time wanting to wrap her arms around him and accept his embrace. 

“Lorenzo!” she whispered harshly. “Ned heard you call me ‘Ms. Davis.’”

“Good.” His face was far more expressive the farther away he got from the Quartermaines. His brow was furrowed in irritation. 

“You might as well have just announced we’ve been seeing each other.”

In the middle of the dance floor, Lorenzo grabbed her waist and pulled her in tight to his body. He squeezed her hand tight to let her know just how pent up his agitation was.

“How can you be so tense and so insecure after what we spent the day doing?” she asked. “After what we just did on the balcony?”

Lorenzo took a deep breath and started moving. Alexis followed his lead so naturally, it even surprised her.

“You’re right,” he conceded. “I’m sorry. I promised we’d do this your way, and there I go messing it up because I don’t like your husband being protective of you. Since when did he start treating you well?”

Alexis shrugged, “Since I started remembering I deserved it. You have no reason to be jealous of him.”

He nodded stiffly, as though he knew that intellectually, but emotionally was a different story.

“I’m sorry, princess. Seeing you with him makes me want to take to you a table in the middle of the room and make you cum so damn hard you’ll scream my name so loud they’ll hear you all the way at the hospital.”

In spite of herself, Alexis couldn’t help but laugh. “My voice may be a little hoarse for a few days if you make me scream that loud.”

He chuckled, “Speaking of, how’re you holding up? Sore?” He tilted his head as though he was trying to get a look at her ass.

“Tender. Everything feels...sensitive.”

He grinned broadly and sighed pleasurably. “You have been sensitive lately. Making you come has been effortless this last week.”

She flushed red. If he only knew why...

“Are you going to be starting your period soon?” 

She turned even more red, “Oh my God, Lorenzo.”

He rolled his eyes, “Come on, Alexis. I spent a good portion of the day inside you. You can’t possibly be embarrassed by me asking about your body.”

“I’m irregular, ok? My body’s changing.” She looked anywhere but directly at him. She omitted the kind of changes her body was going through, and let him make his own assumptions. “This is not where I want to talk about this.”

He laughed again, “Fine. I’ll behave myself.”

“We are in polite society, after all.”

“If only polite society saw you in that red dress this morning…” He smiled down at her in the most wistful way. She couldn’t help but smile back. “I’ll never forget, not for the rest of my life, what you looked like when you walked in. I won’t forget the dress, the lingerie, the dark, chocolate eyes. Not one bit of it.”

Now she was blushing for a whole other reason. The intensity of his love her was humbling. And with their bodies so close together, and his hand on her bare skin, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. She naturally searched for a way to make the moment lighter. “Oh, that’s just the aftereffects of the Valentine’s gift I got you,” she said laughing.

But her words had the opposite effect she intended. His intensity only increased, and would’ve knocked her off her feet if she hadn’t been wrapped in his arms. “I’ll never forget, Alexis. The way you looked...The way you felt...The way you loved me.”

“Lorenzo…” She wanted to kiss him so badly. 

His hand lifted to touch the diamond knot on around her neck. “Mine,” he whispered, willing it so.

“Yours,” she agreed.

Silence around them had her looking up. A commotion by the elevator had people moving off the dance floor. Nora and Bo had just stopped dancing to their right. Bo was assessing the situation while Nora was looking at Alexis and with raised eyebrows. Alexis guessed she and Lorenzo were a little too close, even for the dance floor.

Nora nodded her head in the direction of the bar. Alexis turned to find Ned staring at her with a look of revulsion and anger. He knew.

Alexis sighed and looked to Lorenzo to figure out what to do…

But Lorenzo’s attention was on the commotion at the front of the room. 

“What’s going on, Bo?” Nora asked her husband.

“I heard someone say Corinthos.”

“Shit,” said Lorenzo. He reached to the back of his coat. Alexis heard his intake of breath as he patted himself down. “I left the gun outside.” 

Lorenzo pulled Alexis into his chest, all pretense of secrecy gone. 

Several people screamed, and then a gunshot rang out. More screams and people scattered. 

“Come, let’s get you out through the kitchens.” Lorenzo nearly lifted her pulling her away from the noise.

“Alcazar! Alexis!” Sonny’s voice was loud and hoarse, and about fifteen feet behind them. Alexis turned to look at him, but all she saw was a gun in his hand before Lorenzo yanked her behind him. 

People were screaming and trampling each other to get to the stairwell.

“Put the gun down!” yelled Bo. Alexis was startled to see him pointing his own gun at Sonny. Nora was back against the wall surprisingly calm for her husband getting involved in a gunfight.

Sonny ignored Bo like he wasn’t even there.

“What are you doing here, Sonny? You’re going to get arrested or killed,” said Lorenzo.

Sonny laughed maniacally, “I’m untouchable, Alcazar. I just killed that pathetic guard you had at the door. I still need my revenge. Give me Alexis, and I might let you live today.”

“She didn’t do anything, Sonny! It was Carly! Carly gave me the information! She came to my house. She’s all over my security cameras. Her fingerprints are on the documents I turned into the Feds. Alexis was nothing but loyal to you!”

“Carly said you’ve been fucking Alexis. Carly said you’d try to pin it on her to save your woman.”

Alexis couldn’t believe Sonny would turn on her like this. She knew he was sick, but to think Alexis would turn him in? “Let me talk to him, Lorenzo. Let me reason with him. He’s my friend. I don’t think he’ll actually kill me.”

“No.” Lorenzo’s voice was sharp. 

“Let her talk, Alcazar,” Sonny taunted.

“Stay away from her.”

Alexis pushed back from Lorenzo out of his grasp so she could see Sonny. Sonny trained his gun on Alexis.

“Get behind me, baby. Get behind me!” demanded Lorenzo.

“Sonny?” said Alexis. The dark circles around his eyes were worse than the previous week. He was wearing the same clothes, his hair was everywhere, and he stunk terribly. “Sonny?”

Lorenzo tried to step in front of her.

“Get back, Alcazar!” said Sonny, pulling back the hammer on the gun and aiming at Alexis.

“Put the gun on me!” said Lorenzo. “Put it on me, and you can talk to her.”

Sonny laughed and moved his gun back and forth between the two with every syllable he spoke, “I can point my weapon at anybody I want!” 

“Sonny, I didn’t even know you owned those warehouses,” said Alexis. “I had no access to that information.”

“Alcazar’s coaching you on what to say.”

“No, Sonny. No. You’re my friend. I wouldn’t do that to you. And you were my client; I would never have said anything even if I did know.”

“I DON’T BELIEVE YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCH!”

“Alexis, baby, come here,” Lorenzo pleaded. “Come, now.”

Sonny’s eyes were so dark, she couldn’t see his pupils. That man wasn’t her friend. Her friend was lost somewhere in his mind. She looked to Lorenzo whose head was whipping back and forth between Alexis and Sonny.

Alexis met Lorenzo’s blue eyes, and she nodded. She stepped toward him…

“TRAITOR!” Sonny yelled.

Lorenzo dove for her, arms embracing her, knocking her to the ground as a loud gunshot rang out. Lorenzo grunted loudly even before they hit the floor. Bo’s gun popped off and Alexis heard a body hit the floor.

“Sonny?”

“He’s down,” yelled Bo. “Nora, call 911.”

“He got him, Lo. He got him, love. We can get up now,” said Alexis.

Lorenzo wasn’t responding. Alexis heard a strange gurgle in his breath, and warmth on her chest. “Lorenzo?”

Alexis heard feet running toward them. Bo and Ned pulled Lorenzo off Alexis. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the room aside from Sonny and Lorenzo’s guard both lying in pools of blood on the floor.

“Who’s hit?” said Bo. Alexis felt him checking her pulse and feeling her chest.

“Careful, she’s pregnant,” said Ned. “Alexis, are you ok?”

“I’m fine. Lorenzo?” Alexis sat up, and realized her chest was soaking wet. She looked down to find her white dress was now bright red. Her head snapped to Lorenzo. Bo was taking off his own jacket and he balled it up and put it to Lorenzo’s back applying heavy pressure.

“Hang in there, pal,” said Bo. “The ambulance is their way.”

“Lorenzo!” said Alexis. She crawled over to touch his face. His eyes were closed and blood was dripping from his mouth. “Lo?”

Tears started falling down her cheeks. “Lo? Baby, wake up. Wake up, love. Lo!”

Her hand dropped to her stomach, covered in Lorenzo’s blood. Too much blood…

“Daddy’s going to be ok, little one. Daddy’s going to be ok.”

“Alexis,” said Ned, pulling her away. 

“NO! No! He needs to hear my voice. He needs to know he’s going to be a daddy. He doesn’t know!”

“Alexis,” said Ned. “Let Bo help him.” 

“He needs to know I love him!” Alexis grabbed Lorenzo’s hand and whispered in his ear. “I love you, Lo. I love you. We’re going to have a baby. You and me. You and me and our little Lo.”

No response. 

Alexis looked down at Lorenzo’s blood all over her, and his blood pooling on the floor. She began to realize Lorenzo might not ever meet their little Lo.


	14. Waiting

Waiting

_______________________________

 

“I’m sorry, Alexis, but we can’t let you in like that. Mr. Alcazar is just getting out of surgery and we need to keep the area as clean as possible. The risk of infection is too high,” said Elizabeth, who was preparing Lorenzo’s ICU bed.

“What do you mean?” said Alexis. “I can’t go in like what?” She’d been waiting for HOURS for him to get out of surgery, most of which filled her with dread that he wouldn’t make it through. When the doctor finally came out and informed her they were able to stabilize him, her heart swelled, but her anxiety somehow only increased.

“Alexis,” said Elizabeth looking at her with sympathetic eyes, “Your dress…”

Alexis looked down. Under Ned’s tuxedo jacket, she was still wearing her blood-stained dress. “Oh.” She had forgotten about about the blood...

“Why don’t you go home and wash up, and get some rest? Like the doctor said, Lorenzo made it out of surgery, but he’s going to be kept in an induced coma for the foreseeable future. I can call you if anything changes in his condition.”

“No. I’m not leaving until I know he’s ok.”

“That could be awhile. Maybe I could call Nikolas and let him know you need him?”

“No...I don’t want anyone here.”

“Alexis,” said Nora coming up behind her, “I was able to find you these.” Nora held up a set of scrubs. “And one of the doctors, Dr. Scorpio, said you can use the staff shower if you’d like.”

Alexis sighed in relief. She wouldn’t have to leave him. “Thank you, Nora.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to run back to the hotel?”

“I want to be here when Lorenzo’s brought out of surgery.”

Nora nodded. “Bo finished giving his statement to the PCPD, but we can stick around a few more hours if you need.”

“No, no. You should go. You need to get back to your son.”

Nora hugged her before she left. “You were right to be worried about this town, Alexis. Call me when things settle down.”

Alexis knew Nora was right. She knew she needed to distance herself from Lorenzo for the sake of the baby. But she couldn’t leave him, not when he jumped in front of a bullet meant for her. Not when his guard lost his life because of her. She had to make sure he was ok. 

Alexis made her way to the staff locker room. When she peeled off her dress, already crusted with Lorenzo’s dried blood, she saw the stain on her skin. Of course her skin couldn’t be stained with his kisses or his touch...it had to be his blood.

A sob escaped her lips and tears blurred her eyes. She touched the dark, red color with gratitude and regret. Foggy memories of the doctor’s words played through her mind…”gunshot wound...collapsed lung...chest tube...ET tube...ventilator...risk of infection, pneumonia, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism...” She had no idea what any of it meant. What was the point of being so intelligent when she didn’t know the things that mattered?

When the water was hot and ready for her, she resisted stepping in. Something about washing away the evidence of Lorenzo’s sacrifice for her felt sacreligious. But the alternative of not being about to see him, to touch him, was unacceptable. 

She stepped under the steaming hot water letting her tears flow in the stream. She watched the dried blood on her skin slowly wash away. 

The shower helped her feel more refreshed than she would’ve thought possible, or maybe it was just the anticipation of seeing her love. When she arrived in the ICU, Lorenzo had already been wheeled in. Elizabeth was connecting him to all his machines and making notes on their readouts. 

Alexis stepped in the room and stared. Her Lorenzo didn’t look well, at all. He was unconscious and his complexion pallid. His intense, masculine persona was quiet, drowned out by the noisy machines and fluorescent lights. 

And his beard was gone! They shaved his face to tape the tracheal tube. 

Alexis moved to his side, grabbing his hand. He was warm, and at least he felt like himself. He felt the way he did when he was sleeping a deep, heavy sleep. The way he felt when he worked late and she kept him up making love, exhausting him come morning. 

She pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed his palm. Part of her expected him to caress her cheek. But his limb was dead weight.

“I didn’t realize you were close,” said Elizabeth tentatively as she inputted information into his chart. 

Alexis shrugged holding his hand in both of hers, bringing it to her heart. “Only a handful of people know just how close we are. I’d rather not broadcast our relationship.”

“Yet you’re here? Someone might see you.”

“I can’t NOT be here.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows before composing herself once again. She moved to the cabinet and pulled out a blanket and pillow. “If you’re going to be here, you might as well be comfortable. The chair in the corner folds back flat to sleep on. You’re welcome to stay. If any other visitors come, only two people are allowed in the room at a time. Let me know if you need anything.” 

Alexis sat on the side of the bed. When she heard the door close behind Elizabeth, she took Lorenzo’s hand and rested it on her stomach as though their baby might give him some sort of life. 

She should’ve told him about their baby. What if he died never knowing about little Lo? What if knowing he was going to be a daddy was what he needed to fight a little harder? 

“We need you to be ok. Please, be ok,” she whispered. She reached up to stroke his cheek. She tried to avoid tape and plastic and feel the soft skin beneath, but without the scratchy beard, it didn’t feel like her Lorenzo. “I can’t believe you jumped in front of a bullet for me.”

Would she be responsible for both Alcazar brothers’ deaths?

Tears fell down her cheeks dropping on medical gown. She tried wiping her eyes, but more tears flowed. Exhaustion was starting to set in and her body was feeling heavy. She looked to the chair in the corner that was to be her bed and cringed, not because of the comfort, but because of the distance. Maybe she could push it closer. But not touching him was too far away.

There was a small space between Lorenzo’s arm and the rail of the bed. She thought of Lorenzo laying with her in bed when she woke from the hospital in Llanview. Elizabeth would probably have something to say about it if she lay there with him. He had a tube coming out of his mouth, one in his chest, an IV, blood pressure cuff, and other monitors. But most tubes and cords were hanging off the other side

Alexis squeezed between Lorenzo and the rail, hugging his arm gently, fearful of any disruption of blood flow to his chest. His arm fit right between her breasts. If he was awake, he’d probably make some vulgar suggestions just to see her blush. 

She couldn’t wait.

She missed the natural rhythm of his restful breath. The ventilator ruined the sound and vibration she’d grown so accustomed to sleeping with. She kissed his shoulder and entwined their fingers before the oppressive need to sleep overtook her.

___________________________________

 

Loud beeping sounds startled Alexis awake. Lorenzo’s arm was still warm, and the ventilator was still working. Elizabeth came bustling in to check the machine, unworried and not calling for help, so Alexis allowed herself to calm. Elizabeth changed one of the bags of fluid and reset the machine. She gave a side eye at where Alexis was sleeping.

Alexis sat up trying to orient herself to time. She knew she’d been asleep awhile because she could taste it on her breath. The clock read five a.m.

“How’s he doing?” asked Alexis.

“He’s stable, but still critical. His vitals are good.”

“Tell me, Elizabeth. What are his chances?”

Elizabeth turned to Alexis. “The doctor should really be the one to talk to you about this.”

“The doctor was useless. He told me nothing. He said it could go either way.”

Elizabeth flinched as though she was having a thought she didn’t want to share with Alexis, “He’s right, though, Alexis. Patients in this condition sometimes come out perfectly fine, and others don’t make it. Thankfully, Lorenzo is fairly young and good health. He has that going for him. But…” she trailed off.

“But? But what?”

“But he was shot in the lungs. Not many people can survive that kind of wound.”

Alexis remembered Lorenzo holding her head to his chest as they hit the floor. That bullet would’ve killed her if he didn’t put himself in between. A whimper escaped her lips.

“Are you ok?”

Alexis shook her head. “Sonny was trying to kill me. Lorenzo saved me.”

Elizabeth grabbed her hand. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Nikolas or Jax?”

“No. God no. The more people that know about us, the more at risk…” Alexis stopped herself from finishing her sentence.

Nodding, Elizabeth said, “I understand.” There was no way she could’ve really.

“Thank you for your discretion.”

Alexis watched Elizabeth leave the room, grateful she didn’t give her a harder time about sleeping with Lo. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Alexis noticed that while she was sleeping and talking to Elizabeth, she wasn’t alone in the room. She sucked in a breath and looked at the intruder head on. 

“Diego,” said Alexis. Fear made her heart patter in her chest. Lorenzo’s nearly adult son was laying reclined in the chair in the corner of the room. “Diego, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here. I...I…” she lost her words. 

“Mrs. Ashton.” He didn’t move to get up. His face was somber and staring off into space, and she could see by his puffy eyes he had shed more than a few tears for his father’s state.

“You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here,” she said, trying not to make her voice crack.

Diego shrugged. “I think I’ve got it figured out.”

Alexis squinted at him. “Oh?”

He stayed quiet.

“So...you’re ok with me being here?” she asked.

He didn’t open his eyes. “What I want really doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters.”

“No. It doesn’t.” He finally looked at her. “My father made that clear.”

“Your father talked to you about me?” Alexis looked back down at Lorenzo. She would’ve preferred he told her first, but the thought of Lorenzo preparing his son for his relationship with her was endearing. She looked back to Diego who met her eyes.

“I figured out he was seeing someone a couple of weeks ago. I asked if it was Carly, and he said I was nuts. He said it was someone new. He wouldn’t tell me who though.”

“So you didn’t know it was me he was talking about?”

Diego shook his head. “Not at the time, no.”

“When did he tell you?”

“When I overheard him ordering flowers for you. He stepped out of an important meeting to make the call.” Diego rolled his eyes. “Imagine my surprise when I found out he was ordering six dozen roses for Brooke Lynn’s stepmom. For his brother’s killer.”

“Are you angry?”

Diego spoke like he was almost bored. “Now, why would I be angry? Because you murdered my uncle, and now you’re the reason my father might die?”

Alexis felt like she was slapped in the face.

“Don’t worry. Dad said you made him happy. That’s what matters, I guess.”

“So, that’s it? You’re anger’s gone? I’m forgiven?” Alexis knew it couldn’t be that easy.

“My father made it clear I don’t get a say in who sleeps in his bed. So when I walk into his hospital room and find his woman sleeping in his bed...I say nothing.”

Alexis looked at the poor kid laying there stuffing his feelings about his father being near death, and having to endure the space with the woman who killed his uncle. “I’m sorry, Diego.”

“For what exactly, Ms. Davis?”

“Ms. Davis? Did your father tell you to call me that?”

Diego gave a little grin.

Alexis answered his question. “I’m sorry for everything.”

She could see tears welling in his eyes. 

“Should I step out and give you some time alone with your father?”

Diego sniffed and pulled the chair upright. “No. No. I think I want to get out of here for a while.”

Though her heart broke for him, Alexis would be glad to be alone with Lorenzo again. The awkwardness of trying to connect with his teenage son was just too much with everything else she had going on.

Diego stood up and found a notepad on one of the tables and scratched down a number. “Can you call me if anything changes with him?”

“Of course.” She took the paper from him.

Just as he was about to leave the room, Diego said, “You know, I thought my dad was crazy when he told me it was you. I thought he was just going to be stuck on the outside of another messed up marriage.” Diego took a deep breath like what he planned on saying next was an immense effort for him. “But I can see you care about him.”

“I love him, Diego. I love him very much.”

Diego nodded. “I stationed guards at the door. They should keep unwanted visitors away. If you need anything–food, tequila, whatever–just ask Ramon. Don’t go anywhere without one. My dad would kill me if something happened to you while he’s like this.”

Alexis sucked in a breath. “You stationed guards?” Her thoughts raced back to what he said before, that he was with Lorenzo when he ordered flowers for Valentine’s Day… “Diego...The meeting you attended with your father...Was that in New York this weekend?”

Diego nodded.

“Your father lets you in on business meetings? You’re arranging security while he’s here?”

Diego shrugged. “My dad has people to run most of the business for him while he’s down, but I want to prove myself to him. Show him I can step up when he needs.” 

Oh God, thought Alexis. “Your dad is ok with this?”

“I’m going to be in the business one way or another. He’d rather I be a part of his business than someone else’s.”

Alexis looked down at Lorenzo after Diego left the room. She shook her head in disappointment and rubbed her belly. “I can’t believe you let your son in the business.” 

She looked down at her tummy, “Don’t even think about it.”

___________________________________________________

 

Alexis lay down with Lorenzo once more. She didn’t anticipate falling asleep again; she just craved the comfort of holding onto him and unconsciousness followed.

This time she was awoken by people talking at the door.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you in without the approval of Ms. Davis,” said the guard.

“Mrs. Ashton, you mean?” Alexis recognized Ned’s frustrated voice. “Tell her I’m here and she’ll let me in.” 

Alexis sat up and checked on Lorenzo’s heartbeat and breath before addressing Ned. “Ow,” she grumbled to herself. Her entire body was sore. Her head, neck, and back must’ve taken a big hit in the fall. And there were other parts of her body that were sore in a good way. She smiled at the sleeping face next to her; Lorenzo would be very pleased her body remembered what he did to her.

But, dear God, she was achy all the way from her bottom to her lower back. Maybe even a bit in her abdomen. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” said the guard.

“And why not?”

“Ms. Davis is resting. She had a long night, and Mr. Alcazar would like her undisturbed.”

“Mr. Alcazar? Is he awake?”

“Diego Alcazar.”

“Now the delinquent son is involved? Great.” Ned sighed. “Fine, I’ll call her.”

Alexis could hear her phone ringing, but moved to the door and opened it. Ned stood staring down three guards with his phone to his ear and a bag in his hand.

“Hey,” she said. “Come in.”

The guards parted like the Red Sea and allowed her husband through the door.

Alexis didn’t know what she should do. She didn’t know how to be in a room with an injured Lorenzo fighting for his life, and be sensitive to Ned at the same time. Alexis sat on the foot of the bed and gestured for Ned to take one of the chairs.

“How is he doing?”

Alexis shrugged. “The surgery was successful, we just have to wait and see if he pulls through.”

“A ventilator is never a good sign,” said Ned.

“Well, he jumped in front of me to take a bullet to the lung. He needs a little help to breathe.”

Ned sighed. “I’m glad he did. I was terrified for you, Alexis. Sonny was out of his mind.”

A thought occurred to her. Her once friend was shot, too. “Do you know what happened to Sonny?”

Ned flinched. “He didn’t make it. Bo’s bullet hit him center mass, and it was a larger caliber than what Alcazar was hit with.”

Alexis nodded. She didn’t think he survived, but was hoping for miracle. She didn’t have any tears for Sonny at the moment; they were all spent on Lorenzo. But her heart ached at the unfairness of the loss. Of what his illness made him do. Of what Carly made him do. Alexis knew there was rage building deep inside that Carly was responsible for all this carnage, but for the moment, there was just Lorenzo fighting for breath in his hospital bed. 

“Are you ok?” asked Ned.

Alexis looked into his sweet eyes. “I’m managing,” she said honestly.

“And the baby?”

Her hand dropped do her stomach. “I think he’s good.”

“A boy? Isn’t it a little soon to tell?”

She nodded. “I just picture a little boy. A little…” Lo.

Ned nodded with a tense jaw as though he understood. “I wasn’t far off when I guessed it was Sonny.”

Alexis couldn’t help but huff a laugh.

“I never would’ve guessed, not in a million years, that it was Lorenzo Alcazar.”

Alexis tried not to laugh again. “Once he got past me killing his brother, the twin brother who killed my sister, he turned out to be a kind, intelligent, loving…”

“Criminal?”

Alexis snapped her head up. “He’s getting out of the business for me.”

Ned laughed derisively. “You believe that?”

“I do.”

He shook his head in disgust. “How did this happen, Alexis? How did you fall in love with Lorenzo Alcazar?”

Alexis blew out a breath buying time to figure out how she wanted to answer that question. On one hand, it was none of Ned’s business. On the other hand, they were married for years; she felt like she owed him something.

“It started at the Christmas party. We were both angry about other things and one thing lead to another…I thought it would end there.”

“The Christmas party? That wasn’t so long ago.”

“It all happened so fast. Lorenzo is...intense.” 

“How did it go from there to wrecking our marriage over him?”

She shrugged, completely ashamed of herself. “Edward started throwing us together. It took me completely off guard. I was under water before I realized I jumped in the pool.”

Ned rubbed his temples. “And you end up pregnant with his baby.”

She nodded. 

“We’ve been having unprotected sex for how many years now?” he said. “And it only took you, what, a couple weeks with this guy. Wow.” The loss was so evident on his face. Alexis thought he looked more beat up over her not having his baby than he did about her leaving him for Lorenzo. 

“It should’ve been us,” he said.

Thank God it wasn’t, she thought.

“Can I ask one more question?”

She nodded. 

“How are you planning on keeping this baby safe?”

She shook her head. “It depends on Lorenzo. If he can get out of the business as quickly as he promised, I’ll stay with him. If he can’t, I’m thinking of moving to Llanview. I just won’t tell him I’m pregnant.”

“You’re almost two months along. If he survives this bullet, you’re only going to have a month or two to make a decision. And if he found out you were hiding his baby from him...Alexis...he might…”

“He’d never hurt me,” she interrupted. “He’d never take my baby from me. He might insist on being a part of the baby’s life, but there is no way he’d ever lay a hand on me or take my child.”

Ned threw up his hands to show he was giving in. Clearly, he didn’t want to upset her further.

“He’s going to get out of the mob,” she insisted. “The little one and I might have to wait in Llanview for him, but Lorenzo will get out.”

“Ok, ok. You’ve got your mind made up. I hope everything goes as planned.” His tone didn’t really sound like he shared her hopes.

“I brought you some clothes and a few things,” he said setting the bag down on the floor. “But I really don’t want to enable you to just stay here. You need to get some rest at some point.”

“Thank you, Ned. You really didn’t have to.”

He waved her off. “When was the last time you had anything to eat?”

Alexis had to think about it. “Oh, I don’t know...Last night, before the benefit.”

Ned sighed in frustration. Alexis mentally kicked herself, too. If she passed out again, she wouldn’t be able to stay by Lorenzo’s side.

“I’ll go grab you something,” said Ned. She noticed he didn’t invite her to the cafeteria to eat. Either he knew she wouldn’t leave Lorenzo quite yet, or meals together were a little too much for a man putting up with his wife keeping vigil at another man’s bedside.

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll ask the guards to get me something.”

Ned nodded looking relieved. 

“Why are you being so kind to me after what I’ve done?”

Pain flashed across Ned’s face, hitting Alexis right in the gut. “You know the answer to that,” he said.

He loved her. “Why show it now? Why show me how much you care after what I’ve done to you? Why not when we had a chance?”

“I have no excuse for the man I turned into, Alexis. And I have no excuse to continue to be him.” Ned stood and walked to the door. Before he stepped out, he said, “Take care of yourself. Don’t wait too long to go home and get rest.”

_____________________________________________

 

It took Alexis another two days to get home for a full night’s rest, a nonpublic shower, and a fresh change of clothes. She only left the hospital because she needed to clean up for her doctor’s appointment the next day and she was assured by the guards they’d call immediately if something happened.

Diego popped in and out a few times, but he never stayed long. It seemed difficult for the boy to look at his father incapacitated in such a way. Alexis guessed he’d always seen is father as invincible. Alexis had seen the greatest of men and women fall throughout her life for her to ever live under the delusion that someone was truly unbreakable.

Everybody broke at one point or another.

The next morning, she went back to the hospital and checked on Lorenzo before going to see her OB. Still no change. Elizabeth assured her it was a good thing. The doctors were keeping him under complete sedation because they didn’t want him exerting himself or fighting the ventilator on which one of his lungs was entirely dependent. It pleased her to think they could wake him if needed.

Her check up with Dr. Meadows was brief, as Alexis was so early in her pregnancy. She had some lab work ordered, prescribed some prenatal vitamins, and discussed the risks of a pregnancy at an advanced age. The best part was she was able to see the little one on a transvaginal ultrasound and hear his little heartbeat. 

Generally speaking, she was feeling light-hearted and more hopeful than she’d been since Sunday when she returned to Lorenzo’s room from her appointment. She planned on telling him all about little Lo, and nearly skipped into the room. Part of her wondered how smart that would be, uncertain if he could hear her while unconscious, but another part of her hoped his little one would give him drive to get well soon.

She stopped abruptly when she saw people in his room. One of Lorenzo’s guards was standing next to a man she didn’t recognize. The man turned his attention to Alexis. 

“Oh, hello,” she said. She wanted to back out of the room. She didn’t want strangers knowing her association with Lorenzo.

The man was tall, maybe six foot. He had short, light-brown hair and wore a gray suit with an open, white-collared shirt. He had an arrogant dismissiveness about his expression...that was, until their eyes locked. 

He squinted at her as though trying to see something just out of his reach.

“Hello, I’m Derek Wells, an associate of Mr. Alcazar.” He held out a hand to Alexis who hesitantly accepted. 

“I’m Alexis Dav...Ashton. Alexis Ashton. I’m an acquaintance of Mr. Alcazar.” Alexis turned to the guard and looked at him accusingly. “I didn’t realize Mr. Alcazar was accepting visitors.”

“Diego advised us Mr. Wells requested a visit.”

Derek smirked at Alexis as though he was reading more into her statement than she intended him to. “Mr. Alcazar and I were working on a business transaction before he was hurt. I just wanted to stop by and offer my support to his family.”

Meaning he wanted to stop by and make sure Lorenzo was going to live, and if he wasn’t, he wanted to meet the people with whom he’d be doing business with after his death.

“I see…” Alexis hesitated leaving the room. She’d just spent a whole night away and didn’t want to go, but Derek Wells was obviously a very dangerous man, and every instinct in her body was telling her to run.

Derek looked as though he was struggling to place her face. “Do I...Ms. Ashton…” 

“Mrs. Ashton.”

“Pardon. Mrs. Ashton, have we met before? You seem familiar to me.”

“I’m certain we haven’t.”

Derek’s eyes widened in recognition. “You’re Sonny Corinthos’ lawyer.”

Alexis shook her head. “I was his lawyer.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” The corners of his mouth were lifted. He didn’t look sorry.

“Thank you.”

Derek looked between Alexis and Lorenzo. “If you were Sonny’s lawyer, what are you doing visiting Mr. Alcazar? I can’t imagine Jason Morgan would be too pleased with a consigliere associating with a rival.”

“I am not, nor have I ever been a consigliere of Mr. Corinthos or Mr. Morgan. I represented their interests primarily in family court and some corporate law in their legal business ventures.”

“And some criminal cases, so I’ve heard.”

“A few. You may have also heard Diane Miller was the organization’s most recent attorney. Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m visiting Mr. Alcazar because I have some minor acquaintance with him and was just checking to see if he’s still alive.”

Derek tilted his head and narrowed his gaze. His eyes shifted to the guard in the room before returning back to her. His head shook and a grin spread across his face. “Now, Mrs. Ashton, the deference Mr. Alcazar’s guards have shown you, as well as your obvious indignance at him having an unapproved visitor suggests you’re not being entirely honest with me.”

Alexis sighed, “Mr. Alcazar has done business with my family. He and I have worked together for a brief time. Imagine my concern when my friend who has recently suffered a life threatening gunshot wound, has a stranger standing over his unconscious body in his hospital room. You understand my concern?”

Derek smiled further. “Mr. Alcazar has gone from your acquaintance, to your business associate, to your friend in a matter of a few breaths.” 

She should’ve just left when she noticed someone was in the room. “Why is that your concern?”

Derek looked her up and down with an obvious appreciation. “Mr. Alcazar was quite distracted this weekend, Mrs. Ashton.” He smirked as his eyes returned to hers. “I can see why, it being Valentine’s Day and all.”

Alexis flushed bright red. 

Derek smiled as though he just received his confirmation. “I wouldn’t worry about his recovery. I’m sure his motivation to get well is...uh...quite high. I’m guessing I have you to thank for his recent inexplicable desire to offload various businesses.”

Alexis didn’t say a word. She just looked at Lorenzo with frustration that he wasn’t awake to deal with this man and get him away from her.

“I’ll be on my way. Mr. Alcazar’s son has agreed to keep me updated on his father’s progress. I’ll be in touch after he has a chance to recover.”

Alexis nodded without meeting Derek’s eyes. Derek, however, wasn’t having it. He reached out a hand to Alexis, palm up. Alexis reluctantly placed her hand in his. She forced herself to calm. Derek Wells was Lorenzo’s way out of the mob. She should show some degree of gratitude. Her eyes lifted to his face. 

Derek’s expression was soft and wistful. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?” he asked.

For some reason she had to force herself to take a deep breath. “I’m certain. I’m good with faces, Mr. Wells.”

“Call me Derek, please.” Derek held her hand far too intimately for such a stranger.

“I’ll walk you out,” she said, wanting to move him along. She took her hand from his and strode to the door seeing him out. “Good day, Derek.”

“Good day, Alexis.”

Derek turned to walk away just as another man’s voice sounded behind her. 

“Alexis.”

She turned to find Jason Morgan and Sam McCall coming up behind her. She took a deep breath and let out a big sigh.

“How can I help you, Jason?”

“Jason?” said Derek, who seemed to still be lingering. “Jason Morgan?”

Alexis sighed. “Jason Morgan, this is Derek Wells. Derek, this is Jason.”

Jason looked to Derek with indifference. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m just a businessman from New York. I work in media.”

“Media?”

Alexis looked to Sam standing next to Jason. Sam was eyeing Alexis with irritation. 

“Indeed,” said Derek. “I’m thinking of expanding into Port Charles.”

“And why are you visiting Lorenzo Alcazar’s room?” asked Sam with an accusing tone.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“Sam McCall.”

“Hi, Sam,” Derek smiled a charming, dazzling smile. “Mr. Alcazar is offloading some of his assets, and I’m considering purchasing them in my expansion. I just wanted to check in him, make sure he’s ok.”

“And what are you doing here?” said Sam to Alexis with obvious hostility.

“Lorenzo is a friend.”

“Since when?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“I need to talk to you about what happened Monday, Alexis,” said Jason.

“Fine.” Alexis nodded for them to go over to the empty waiting area. She wasn’t sure if any part of Lorenzo was aware of what was going on in his surroundings and she didn’t want him stressed during his recovery, so she wanted to herd everyone away.

“It was nice meeting you, Jason. Alexis,” said Derek.

Before Jason followed Alexis, he stepped into Derek’s space and spoke quietly, “I’d be careful whatever ‘assets’ you choose to purchase from a criminal like Lorenzo Alcazar. He has a lot of enemies who may resent your involvement in his business.”

Derek was unfazed. “I appreciate the caution, but as my father used to say, ‘In business, one should be neither too careful nor too careless.’ so, I think I’ll take my chances.”

Jason just stared. 

“I’m sure I’ll see you later, Mr. Morgan,” said Derek. He glanced at Alexis once more before he turned and walked to the elevator. 

Alexis didn’t wait for Jason any longer. She walked to the waiting area and sat on one of their uncomfortable chairs. One of the guards followed her and stood just out of earshot.

All she wanted to do was go lay down with Lorenzo and listen to his heartbeat. Even though she slept solid throughout the night, she was still tired and could probably get a few more hours. Growing a person was exhausting.

Jason and Sam sat across from her observing Lorenzo’s guard watching over them. Sam looked the epitome of a mob moll, except for the fact that in her leather, ripped denim, and with her obvious firearm stuck in her waistband, she could probably be just as lethal as Sonny and Jason combined.

“Why are you spending days and nights in Lorenzo’s hospital room?” asked Jason with no pretenses.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Was it Elizabeth who told you?”

“No. Robin.”

Sam interjected, “In bed with the enemy, Alexis? Sonny wasn’t so crazy after all.”

“I was loyal to Sonny. I never spoke to anyone about my work with Sonny. He was a friend who lost his mind and tried to kill me because his wife sabotaged him the way she sabotages everything else her life. Lorenzo jumped in front of a bullet to save my life, now he’s fighting for his. You have some nerve coming in here accusing me of being a traitor when it was Carly who turned against your boss.”

“I don’t buy that Carly would betray Sonny,” said Jason.

“Then you’re a fool. Lorenzo has video and fingerprint evidence.”

Jason looked at Sam, but gave no indication if he believed her words. He turned back to look at Alexis.

“It doesn’t change that you’re with Alcazar. People don’t just get to ‘walk away’ from the business. They don’t get to sleep with the enemy.”

Alexis scoffed, “Sonny fired me for Carly’s betrayal, remember? I didn’t walk away, I was caste aside. Now, the man I love is fighting for his life because Carly made Sonny paranoid and grandiose. Sonny is dead, not by Lorenzo’s hand, but by the police. You have no right to threaten me.”

“And what if Alcazar wakes? Are we supposed to overlook your relationship with a man hellbent on destroying our organization?”

“Lorenzo is getting out of the business. We’re going to start a life together. A clean life.”

Sam raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“You don’t actually believe that?” said Jason.

“Derek Wells,” said Sam to Jason. “He said he’s considering expanding into Port Charles. He’s trying to purchase assets from Alcazar. Do you think it’s possible?”

“Is that the case?” Jason asked Alexis. “Is Alcazar selling his business to Wells?”

Alexis put her hands up. “Lorenzo keeps me entirely out of his business. I don’t do any legal work for him, and I don’t want any of his secrets. We’re not even going to be together unless he is able to get out.”

“Alexis, you realize Alcazar and Wells are probably going in business together. People just don’t walk out of this life.”

“Then you underestimate what we mean to each other.”

Jason looked at her like she was fooling herself. Alexis had no desire to justify herself to anyone. 

“I think we’re done here,” she said. Alexis stood and straightened her coat. Before she walked away, she warned, “Stay away from Lorenzo. Remember I am a Cassadine. You don’t want to cross me.”

Sam stood up to face her head on, “Are you threatening us, Alexis?”

Jason stepped up an put an arm around Sam’s waist as he spoke, “You’ve made it clear where your loyalty lies. I intend to stay away from you and your boyfriend, as long as what you say is true. But the moment I have word that Alcazar is planning something against our organization, all bets are off, and that includes selling his organization to a hostile buyer.”

Alexis looked to Sam, “Our organization? You’re in the business, too?”

“I’m with Jason, no matter what.”

Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sam had no clue what a tumultuous life she was choosing. The young woman emanated inexplicable accusing hostility toward Alexis.

“Come on, Sam. We need to get going,” said Jason.

“Judge me all you want, Alexis. You’re the one who fell in love with Lorenzo Alcazar, the twin brother of the man you murdered.”

Alexis couldn’t help but respond, “The difference is, I’m demanding more of Lorenzo. If he wants to be with me, it won’t be in this disaster you call a life.”

“You condescending, bitch.”

“Sam, let’s go. We’re late for your appointment as it is,” said Jason.

“You need to be careful who you insult, Alexis,” said Sam. “You forget who you’re talking to.”

“Are you threatening me?” said Alexis.

Sam raised a taunting eyebrow in obvious confirmation.

“Come on, Sam.” Jason pulled her away toward the elevator.

Frustration and tension rolled through her body. All she wanted to do was keep her little Lo safe, and these damn people were making it so hard! A pain in her lower back told her she’d been exerting herself too much and needed to lie down. 

“Are you alright, Ms. Davis?” asked her guard. 

She looked at him as he watched Sam and Jason get into the elevator, as though assessing the threat. 

“I will be. Thank you.”

Alexis walked back to Lorenzo’s room. She went quickly to what she was already coming to think of as “her side of the bed,” and settled in next to him. Just being near his warm, familiar body was a comfort. The moment she laid down and curled around his big long arm, the pain in her back started going away. 

“You’ll prove them wrong, love. You’ll get out and keep me and our little one safe.” 

 

______________________________________

 

Alexis spent the next few weeks in constantly shifting states of terror and relief. Complications of blood clots and infections kept delaying his healing. Never would she imagine Lorenzo being under sedation for so long.

Alexis spent every other night with Lorenzo, then alternated staying at the Quartermaines or their hotel room on the other nights. She’d taken to sleeping in his clothes when she wasn’t with him. She was even reading his fourteenth century war book just read the notes in the margins in his messy scrawl. He was a thoughtful reader, and a diligent note taker. 

All of her days were spent almost entirely in his hospital room. Lorenzo’s guards were becoming as much a part of her family as Tracy and Edward had ever been. They brought her three meals a day and escorted her to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, and even to the restroom. Some days, they provided the only conversation she had.

The respiratory therapist said Lorenzo’s injured lung was getting stronger and stronger, requiring less work from the ventilator, and the doctor would probably start trying to wake him in the next few days.

Alexis was nearing her third month of pregnancy, and noticing all the typical symptoms, nausea, fatigue, and aches and pains all over her body. No one else would notice the changes in her shape, but she certainly did. Her boobs were ridiculously full and tender, her bottom half seemed to be widening, and even though the baby was too tiny to cause a bump in her belly, she was certain she felt a little round protrusion.

Nerves built when thinking about Lorenzo waking up. Would he notice? He knew her body probably better than she did, and for him, no time had actually gone by. 

Alexis rubbed her little growing belly as she walked to his room after a night at the hotel. 

“Good morning, Ramon,” she told the guard at the door.

“Good morning, Ms. Davis.”

“How is Lorenzo today?”

“Very good, ma’am. The doctor stopped by and said they may try waking him this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest.”

She sucked in an excited breath. She pushed through the door ready to see her man.

There he was just where she left him, looking just as he did the day before. They seemed to be shaving his face about once a week, and he was probably due for another. She wasn’t looking forward to it, he looked more like her Lorenzo with the scruff.

She walked straight to him and kissed him on his forehead. He needed a shower, and she contemplated the benefits of giving him a sponge bath when he woke up.

“Hello, Alexis,” said a familiar voice behind her. 

She turned around. “Hi, Diego. How are you this morning?”

“I’m good. You hear they might try to wake him today?”

“That’s what I hear.” She couldn’t help the delirious grin spreading over her face. “It’s going to nice to see those blue eyes.”

“He won’t be able to talk to us. They have to keep the tubes in and get him used to them when he’s awake so they can do some tests and treatment while he’s conscious. They said they’ll have to put him back under when he starts getting agitated.”

“If he stays calm, he can stay awake?”

“For awhile.”

She looked back to Lorenzo. “Then we’ll have to figure out a way to keep him calm.”

“I bet you’re relieved for him to wake up. You’ve got to be tired of spending so much time with a vegetable.” 

“I just miss him.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Alexis rubbed his arm. Lorenzo was going to be frustrated with all the weight he’d lost not using his muscles for so long. And from what she understood, it would take him awhile with the respiratory and physical therapists before he’d be able to work out in any way he’d find productive.

There was a knock at the door. Diego walked over to open it. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Carly Corinthos stood in the doorway looking skittish. “Hi, Diego. I wanted to check on your dad. How’s he doing?”

Diego opened the door and let her in. Alexis felt paralyzing tension from head to two. Heat built in her gut and flushed throughout her body. Her vision narrowed and she literally saw red.

“Alexis,” said Carly, “what are you doing here?”

It took a moment to find her words, but when she did, they were dripping with quiet rage. “How dare you show your face here? How dare you come into this room with your false concern and your selfish indulgence?”

“What are you talking about, Alexis? I’m just here to see if Lorenzo is ok. We loved each other once, and…”

“You DID NOT love this man! You don’t know the meaning of the word love! You’re the reason he’s in this bed! You’re the reason your husband was killed! You’re the reason for all this destruction!”

“How dare me? How dare you?! You murdered Lorenzo’s brother.”

“Alexis?” said Diego. “What did you mean, she’s the reason my dad got hurt?”

Alexis looked to the poor, confused boy. “Didn’t anyone tell you?”

He shook his head. 

“She’s the reason Sonny was manic. She messed with his medication and told him lies about Lorenzo and me. She wanted Sonny to lose his mind and come after us. She wanted custody of their children when she left him.”

Diego stared blankly at Alexis.

“Don’t listen to her, Diego. That bitch is a liar. She betrayed Sonny, that’s why he went after her. She used your father to protect her. She doesn’t care about him.”

Alexis watched anger wash over his face as his eyes came into focus. He rounded on Carly. “Then why has she been here day and night for a month? Where have you been, Carly? Hiding?”

“I’ve been taking care of my children who’ve lost their father! I’ve been grieving my husband.”

“Get out!” demanded Alexis. “Lorenzo doesn’t need this! He wouldn’t want you here! Get out!”

A guard appeared behind Carly grabbing her arms.

“Diego, don’t believe her. You can’t believe her!” Carly whined.

“Go!” demanded Alexis. 

The guard pulled Carly out of the room and Alexis strode over and shut the door. She was huffing quick, short breaths, and her hands were balled into fists. “Damn her! Damn that woman!” 

She hadn’t thought of Carly much in the last few weeks, so focused on Lorenzo she’d been. “The nerve of her coming here!” She slammed her hand on the wall in frustration. 

She grunted aloud. A pain shot from her lower back to her her pelvis. A fierce cramp, much like a menstrual period overtook her, stealing her breath. She bent over and gripped her stomach as though that might protect her baby.

“She made Sonny come after you and my dad?” said Diego, oblivious to her pain. “You’re sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure,” she huffed. The pain was leaving almost as quickly as it arrived. “I heard it from your father. Lorenzo said he had proof.”

Diego looked to his father lying in that bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines. Alexis could almost see his wheels turning.

“No, Diego. Leave her alone. You can’t do anything stupid.”

Diego didn’t hear a word she said. He spoke more to himself than to Alexis, “She knew Sonny would do something like this. She had to have known…”

“Your father wouldn’t want you taking matters into your own hands.”

Diego just shook his head. 

“Diego.” Alexis reached for him, but he backed away. She was afraid to do anything more for fear of another pain. Diego grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open. “No, Diego!”

“Ms. Davis?” said the guard.

“Stop him. I think he’s going after Carly.”

“Yes ma’am.” The guard took off after Diego who had already turned the corner.

Alexis sucked in a breath and walked out of the room going straight to the restroom. Quickly, she went to a stall fearing what she’d find. She let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t see a mass of blood of her panties. She wiped herself down, just to be certain, and the dread returned when she saw red. 

It wasn’t much, but any blood was too much. Another wipe showed the blood was gone. 

For a woman who was contemplating not having this baby for a period of time, she was shocked at level of attachment she’d grown to her little Lo in the past month. To her baby. To their baby.

When she finished in the ladies’ room, she pulled out her phone and called Dr. Meadows. It mercifully didn’t take her long to get through.

“I know you’re worried, Alexis. And you’re right, bleeding at this stage is a cause for concern, but there is little to be done aside from not pushing yourself too hard and making sure you’re get pelvic rest. No sexual activity.” That shouldn’t be hard. “Take it easy on your body. You’re due for your nuchal translucency test soon, so we’ll get eyes on the little one then. If your bleeding increases, or you start clotting, get to my office or the emergency room.”

After she hung up the phone she was neither comforted nor calmed. She was in her typical elevated stated of panicked worry in life and death situations, which she or someone she loved seemed to be in far too often in her life.

She walked slowly back to Lorenzo’s room fearful moving too much would disrupt her little one further. Too much was happening. She was tired and overwhelmed and emotional. She couldn’t handle anything else...

“There you are, Alexis.” Elizabeth smiled brightly exiting Lorenzo’s room.

“Is everything ok?”

“The doctor’s in the room. He’s getting ready to rouse Lorenzo.”

“He’s going to wake him?” 

Elizabeth nodded. “Come on in. It’ll be good for him to have a familiar face to keep him calm. You ready?”

Maybe she could handle one more thing, “God, yes.”


	15. Lethal Complications

Lethal Complications

_______________________________

 

“Ok, Nurse Webber,” said Dr. Shaw. “Go ahead and push it through. He should wake quickly. We just need to make sure he doesn’t pull on his tubes.”

Alexis held Lorenzo’s hand with baited breath. Almost immediately, his eyes fluttered open, glossy and disconnected. He blinked away weeks of deprivation of light, and started to clear. Panic gripped him, and Alexis felt his hand try to yank up to his face. She held tight.

“Mr. Alcazar, you’re at General Hospital,” said Dr. Shaw. “You’re recovering in the ICU from a gunshot wound.”

Still Lorenzo pulled, looking back and forth.

“We’re going to have to sedate him again. The second time they wake it’s usually easier.”

“Lorenzo,” said Alexis. “Lorenzo, look at me.”

His eyes flashed to Alexis. Blue eyes wide with fear.

“It’s me, Lo. It’s Alexis. I’m here. You’re ok. You’re ok, love.”

His eyes gripped hers, demanding answers, demanding comfort. Alexis was so damn happy to see those eyes. She bent down to kiss his cheek. His head leaned into her, his faith and trust in her absolute.

“Vitals look good,” said Dr. Shaw.

Lorenzo had stopped fighting. Alexis pulled back and grinned ear to ear. “Hi,” she said.

His brow knotted. She could tell he was frustrated he couldn’t speak. 

“It’s ok,” she said. “Just rest. Just relax. Don’t try to talk.”

“Mr. Alcazar, I’m Dr. Shaw. I need to do a check up on you, ok?”

Lorenzo’s eyes didn’t leave Alexis. She stroked his hair and cupped his cheek as the doctor checked muscle tone and reflexes. Their reunion was interrupted briefly for the doctor to check his pupils and tracking, and to ask him some questions to assess his mental status. Lorenzo could only answer by gently shaking his head “yes” or “no.”

“How is he?” asked Alexis.

“Alert, oriented, responsive, good muscle tone. All in all, in pretty good condition. We’ll get him off the ventilator later today, and hopefully, by tomorrow, he can step down out of ICU.”

Alexis let out a sigh of relief and turned her attention back to Lorenzo. “You hear that? You’re going to be ok.”

She wished he could speak. She missed his deep, rumbling voice. She missed his reassuring words.

“Alexis,” said Dr. Shaw. “Help orient him. Let him know what happened to get him here, what’s happened since. He must be very confused and have a lot of questions. Just don’t discuss anything that might agitate him too greatly until we get the tubes out.”

She nodded.

She felt a hand at her waist and lost her breath. She’d nearly forgotten what it was like to be touched by him. She closed her eyes a moment to just feel him. His touch was gentle, and a little shaky, certainly not what she was used to from her man.

“Nurse Webber, he can stay awake as long as he’s calm. Put him under if he gets agitated,” said the doctor. “Have the respiratory therapist scheduled for this afternoon.”

“Yes, Dr. Shaw,” said Elizabeth.

“I’ll see you later to get those tubes out, Mr. Alcazar. You’re in good hands with Nurse Webber and Alexis. They’ve been taking excellent care of you.”

Alexis felt him squeeze her waist at the doctor’s words.

When the doctor left the room, Alexis turned to Elizabeth and asked, “Can I have some time alone with him?”

“Of course. I’ll be at the nurses’ station if you need me. If he starts panicking or getting agitated, call me. We don’t want any damage done when he’s so close to getting those tubes out.”

“Thank you.”

Alexis waited for the door to close before she spoke. Lorenzo’s brow was furrowed, and she could see he was tense.

“God I missed your beautiful, blue eyes,” she said. 

He squeezed her waist, and she knew he wanted answers.

“Do you remember getting shot?”

He shook his head.

“Do you remember Valentine’s day?”

He closed his eyes a moment in consideration. When he opened them again, he stroked her skin with his thumb and nodded his head. 

“Do you remember the benefit?”

He nodded.

“Do you remember Sonny?”

He shook his head. 

“He tried to shoot me while you and I were dancing. You jumped in front of the bullet.” Alexis felt tears well in her eyes. “You saved my life.”

His eyes smiled softly.

“Thank you, Lorenzo.”

He nodded.

“An off duty cop was at the benefit. He shot Sonny down. Sonny’s dead.”

Lorenzo’s eyebrows raised. There was no sadness there; she didn’t think there would be. Alexis contemplated telling him that his guard was killed, too, but thought it better to wait until the tubes were removed.

“You’ve been here nearly a month,” she said.

Lorenzo’s eyes widened. Alexis looked to the machines and saw his pulse racing.

“Calm down, baby, or they’ll put you back to sleep. I know it must be scary to miss a month of your life, but you have to stay with me, ok?”

He nodded, and looked like he was trying to take a deep breath, but the tubes disrupted him. She could see the anxiety building in his body at being out of control of even his breath.

“Look at me, Lo. Stay focused on me. I need you awake.” She stroked his face. She needed to distract him. “Diego’s been here everyday to check in on you. He made sure I was taken care of. He made sure I was protected. We get along well.”

That seemed to calm him like she’d hoped.

“He loves you dearly.”

Lorenzo nodded. He lifted his hand to her face and ran the tips of his fingers over the dark circles under her eyes. He could see she was tired.

“It’s been hard to rest without you. The nursing staff let me sleep most nights right here next to you.”

He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips. She knew he wanted to kiss her; instead, she kissed his thumb, letting her lips linger like she would if she could really kiss him.

“This is almost as frustrating as you not kissing me for so long when we first met.”

Lorenzo grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down to him. Their foreheads connected as though kissing each other the way their lips could not.

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I was so afraid you’d never get to hear me say it again. I love you.”

Lorenzo pointed to himself and then to Alexis. He loved her.

“I know. I know you love me.”

Lorenzo made a motion with his hand like he was writing.

“You want a pen and paper?”

He nodded.

She moved to her purse and grabbed a notepad and pen, then brought it to the bed. Lorenzo scratched slowly across the paper and Alexis read aloud as he wrote.

“‘Where is Diego?’” She shook her head, “I don’t know. He comes to see you several times a day, but he never stays long. I don’t think he likes seeing you this way. I’ll have the guards call and let him know you’re awake.”

Lorenzo started writing again, and Alexis read. “‘I need to talk to Ramon about Wells. He needs to know…’ Oh. Derek Wells. He’s knows you’re in here. He stopped by to see you.”

He wrote again, his writing quicker and more severe. Alexis could hear his heart rate increase on the monitor. A part of her wished she could have that kind of biofeedback on him whenever they were out in the real world, such authentic reactions it picked up on. 

“He was here? Did he see you?”

“We met. He knew almost instantly what I was to you. He was courteous and wished you well.”

“He’s a dangerous man, Alexis. Stay away from him.”

“I know. While he was here, Jason and Sam stopped by and they exchanged words. They know about us, too.”

Lorenzo rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn’t like her mixed up in that world.

“I couldn’t stay away from you. You could’ve died. You were in here because of me.”

He shook his head. “What did Morgan say?”

“He plans on leaving us alone unless you make a move against him, that includes if you sell your business to someone hostile to him.”

Lorenzo shrugged as if that wasn’t a surprise to him.

“Sam was actually more threatening than Jason.”

“Any other visitors I should know about?”

Now it was Alexis’s turn to roll her eyes. “Just Carly.”

Lorenzo waved dismissively.

“Diego is pretty upset about her role in all this. I’m concerned about him. I think you’re going to need to reel him in.”

Lorenzo nodded before he went back to writing. “Who knows about us?”

“Ha, we might as well put out a bulletin. Derek Wells, Jason, Sam, Diego, who you should’ve told me about, by the way, Ned, Elizabeth Webber, a few other nurses, Dr. Shaw, Bo and Nora Buchanan…”

Lorenzo held up his hand and shook his head for her to stop. “Cat’s out of the bag, huh?”

She nodded. “I’m ok with it. It’s ok. I trust you’ll keep us safe. Ramon and the men have been very diligent.”

“How are you, princess?”

She stroked his hair and tears welled in her eyes. “I’m good now. You had me scared for a minute.” She lay down next to him and curled around his arm like she’d done every day of the last few weeks. Their heads rested on the pillow as they stared into each other’s eyes. “I’d lay here night after night wondering if I’d ever see your eyes again. If I’d get to see your smile. Hear your voice. Your laugh.”

His long arm grabbed her thigh...the first response she had from the man while lying in this position for a month. She relished the touch of his gently massaging fingers.

They lay there staring into each other’s eyes. The barriers between their bodies and their words forcing them to communicate their love for each other in this deeply intimate way. She’d never felt closer to another person in her life.

“Don’t ever jump in front of another bullet again.”

____________________________________________________

 

“Were you able to find Diego?” Alexis asked Ramon the next day. 

“No, ma’am. We have a team searching for him.”

“Could you text him and let him know they woke Lorenzo yesterday and he’s no longer on the ventilator?”

“We did, ma’m. No answer.”

Alexis looked back in the room at a resting Lorenzo. She really hoped Diego didn’t do anything stupid. That was the last thing Lorenzo needed.

“You don’t think he’s trying to prove himself to his father by doing anything to Carly, do you?”

“I could only speculate, Ms. Davis.”

She rolled her eyes. None of that was very helpful.

Alexis went back in the room. Alexis couldn’t believe Lorenzo was sleeping again after a month of sedation. The doctor said his body was weak and still healing. He was hardly able to sit up by himself, and he certainly couldn’t walk.

She sat back on the bed and watched him sleep. The respiratory therapist said he was breathing well on his own. He still had to have oxygen tubes in his nose and periodic breathing treatments. The next day, the physical therapist was scheduled to come by and work on getting him back on his feet. 

Lorenzo could hardly voice his frustration at his immobility because of damage done to his vocal cords from the tubes being in there so long. 

Alexis bent over his resting form and kissed his lips, first the top one, then the bottom. She was so afraid to impede his oxygen intake, that she couldn’t even kiss him the way she really wanted. She tried not to show her own frustration and impatience. The first time she kissed him after the ventilator came off, he was more ambitious than his body could handle, and she heard him sucking in wheezing breaths.

So, this time, she just kissed around his mouth, staying away from his airways.

The human body was so fragile, a million little pieces working together so precisely...It was terrifying that one little thing could go wrong, and he’d be out of her life forever.

She kissed him again. This time, his lips kissed her back. “Mmmm,” she moaned in satisfaction. “How long I’ve waited.”

“It feels like yesterday I was fucking every part of your body,” he said, his voice a hoarse and strained whisper. “Strange to have a month fly by without realizing.”

“Shhh, save your voice.”

“No. It was awful not talking to you with those damn tubes.”

“Pace yourself, my love.”

“Did you go somewhere?” he asked.

“Just checking to see if the guards got in touch with Diego. Nothing so far.”

“You’re worried.” 

She nodded, “He was so angry at Carly. And the way he talked about proving himself to you. I’m afraid he might…”

“Do you know who has my phone?”

She reached for the side table and grabbed it before handing the phone to Lorenzo. 

He dialed a number. He raised the phone to his ear, and a moment later, he said, “It’s going straight to voicemail.” Another moment, and he left a message. “Diego, it’s your father. I need to see you at the hospital immediately. Drop everything you’re doing and come.” He hung up the phone.

Alexis raised her eyebrows at him. “No ‘goodbye?’ No ‘see you later?’ No ‘I love you?’”

He considered her words. “I tell him I love him, but not all the time. It’s just not the relationship we have. I didn’t raise him. He’s a rough boy and doesn’t do sentimental very well.”

Alexis laughed, “I noticed.”

“How did you like him?”

“He was courteous and accommodating. He really wants to impress his father.”

“For the wrong reasons.”

“No. He loves you. He looks up to you.” He looked up to his father the same way Alexis was certain their baby would look up to him. She hoped to God he’d get out of the business.

Lorenzo moaned as he rolled onto his side. His face tightened from the obvious pain. “Can you fix this pillow behind me?”

Alexis adjusted a pillow behind his back, careful of his healing wound. 

“Now, get over here, princess. You look like you need to be held.”

Alexis lay down gently to let him spoon her from behind. He breathed into the back of her neck and wrapped an arm around her. His body, though weaker than normal, was still so large and heavy, and comforting.

One of his hands roamed up and down her body, and found its way up her shirt. She giggled when he reached into one of her bra cups. “God you feel good. So full and luscious. I can’t wait to get my mouth on these.”

He kissed her shoulder as he massaged her chest. She felt his cock hardening against her ass. 

“Lorenzo, don’t get too worked up,” she chided. “We’re in the hospital.”

“And?”

“And you’ll break a lung.”

He chuckled, “Forgive me, princess. My last memories of you were in that red lingerie, bending you over the arm of the couch, and in your pretty white dress while I fucked you against the wall. I can’t help that my body remembers it so clearly.”

“You’re a fiend.” But the truth was, she missed him the same way.

He ran his hand down her breasts to her abdomen. Her heart sped wondering if he’d notice the changes in her belly. But he was a man on a mission, and his hand dipped down into her pants.

“Lo,” she chided, “don’t you dare.”

He licked the back of her ear. “Oh, I dare.” His fingers found her sex, so sensitive from the pregnancy. So sensitive from lack of use.

“They’ll kick me out if we get caught.”

“We won’t get caught.”

He massaged the outside in his sweet, gentle way. 

“Don’t let your heart rate go too high,” she demanded. “And don’t lose your breath.”

He chuckled, “I’m not the one who’s going to lose it, princess.”

His fingers split her folds, and his rubbed her arousal all around. A whimper escaped her lips. She did her best not to rub her body back against his, and let him be in complete control. She didn’t want to hurt him.

“I can’t believe you’ve been sleeping with me a month, and I haven’t made you come once,” he said.

“I’m married. I’m used to it,” she teased.

He shoved his fingers in her pussy and growled in his hoarse voice, “Not with me, baby. You’ll never be used to it with me.”

That was the truth.

“Lay on your back,” he said. “I want to watch.”

She rolled on her back, careful not to bump him. His fingers knew her pussy so well. He knew just how she liked to be touched, rubbed, fingered. His touch wasn’t as strong as before, but her hypersensitivity and neglect compensated.

“Lo,” she moaned when orgasm was coming.

“Eyes on me, princess.”

She turned to him, his blue eyes vibrant and intense. Just before she fell into her climax, gratitude of seeing those eyes so bright with life overwhelmed her. When she came, tears filled her eyes, and she couldn’t stifle her sounds.

Lorenzo was smiling, getting pleasure from her pleasure. She could feel his erection against her leg. 

“You better redirect your blood flow,” she said. “I don’t want to be responsible for you getting put back on a ventilator.”

“I’m fine.” He pulled his hand out and brought it up to his lips. He sucked on the fingers that dipped inside.

She couldn’t help her whimper again thinking of his delicious mouth and the pleasure she knew he could give her. 

“Mmmm.” Apparently, his thoughts were in the same place. “I can’t wait to take you home, spread you out on my bed and take care of you the way you’ve been taking care of me.”

“In all fairness, that wasn’t exactly the way I’ve been taking care of you since you got shot.”

He looked pensive a moment, “Hmm. So are you saying I should sedate you and shove something down your throat the way you had it done to me?”

Alexis barked a laugh and nearly hit him in the chest, but stopped herself before she connected. “You are vulgar.”

His eyes were dancing with joy. He massaged his throat and said, “After this experience, I do have much more respect for the good work you do with that throat. I’ll have to make sure to be gentle when you’re sucking my cock.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” 

His eyes flared, “Oh, you like it rough, don’t you?”

She shrugged.

“You’re not doing anything to redirect my blood flow.” He kissed her deep. It only took a few seconds for him to get winded.

“You’re going to kill yourself,” said Alexis.

“But what a way to go.” He kissed her again.

 

_______________________________________________________

 

As Alexis was following Lorenzo’s bed being wheeled down to a floor for patients who didn’t require quite so intensive care, she felt another cramp start in her lower back and shoot to her pelvis. 

“Shit,” she grumbled. Pelvic rest. She shouldn’t have let Lorenzo finger her. She just got so caught up in the moment with his touch and his kisses. It had been so long since they made love, all reasonable thoughts left her brain the moment his hands were on her.

Fearful he’d try to make her come again, she pulled up a chair next to his bed rather than cozy up to him as she’d done for the past month. When his nurses cleared the room, he looked to her and shook his head in disapproval. “Bring that pretty little cunt closer, princess. I can’t chase you in this condition.”

She smirked. “That’s the point. Behave yourself.”

The look he gave her let her know exactly what he thought of having to behave himself.

“Let’s watch tv,” she said, searching for a distraction. “I haven’t seen the news in a month, we might as well catch up together.”

He rolled his eyes, but complied. “Where’s the damn remote?” He searched around his bed.

“It’s here, connected to the controls for your bed.” She stood up to reach over him to show him.

Lorenzo grabbed her around the waist and pulled. He didn’t have it in him to throw her around at the moment, but she was caught off guard and fell into bed next to him. He picked up the remote proving he knew exactly where it was the whole time.

“You’re not behaving,” she said.

“I never agreed to behave.” He kissed her softly and nipped her jaw.

Alexis pulled the remote from his hand and turned on the television. As she flipped through channels, Lorenzo nibbled on her ear. God, she wanted him, and ‘no’ was so hard to say when he made her feel so good. 

“We’re not in a hotel room; we’re in a hospital. Reel it in, or I’m sitting in that chair across the room.”

“No.” He kept right on kissing. She’d forgotten how frustratingly stubborn the man could be, and what a turn on it was.

She finally found the local news. The broadcast was in the middle of a breaking story. 

“...multiple homicides. The commissioner reported that although it’s early in the investigation, the department is considering the possibility the murders were related.”

Alexis sighed, “No wonder I’ve been avoiding the news…” At the mention of homicide, Lorenzo’s interest was piqued.

“Again, if you are just joining us, a woman was found dead in her home, shot to death as her two young sons were asleep in their beds. There were two men also killed at the scene who appeared to private security for the woman. Their identities have yet to be released. The woman’s name was Carly Corinthos, who was the widow of the recently deceased mob kingpin Sonny Corinthos.”

“Oh my God,” said Alexis. 

“Diego,” said Lorenzo. “Ramon!” he tried to yell, but his voice wasn’t strong enough yet.

“Ramon!” yelled Alexis. The guard ran in as the story continued.

“...Several hours later, there was another shoot-out on Pier 52. Witnesses reported gunfire sounded as though it was coming from several directions. A member of a rival to the Corinthos organization was found dead at the scene. Diego Alcazar, the only son of mob boss Lorenzo Alcazar, was that victim…”

“No,” said Alexis, grabbing Lorenzo’s arm. “No, no, no.”

Mac Scorpio appeared on the television giving a statement. “I can confirm two of the victims were Carly Corinthos and Diego Alcazar. We have not established identities for the other two men. Given the time between the murders, and the recent attack on Lorenzo Alcazar by Sonny Corinthos, it’s not a stretch to consider these to be retaliatory hits. We are investigating this and all other possible scenarios…”

“Lo?” Alexis cupped his face in her hands. He was still staring at the screen, a look of incredulity on his face.

His jaw twitched, and a tremor started in his hand. His head shook back and forth as though his denial of the truth would make it reality.

“Lorenzo, oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” His son. He lost his son. She thought of her little Lo in her belly and cringed at the thought of losing him.

“Go get intel,” he said to Ramon in a quiet command. “Leave a guard on Alexis. I want everyone else out there.”

“Yes, sir.” Ramon bolted out of the room.

Lorenzo pushed down the rail of the bed and pushed his legs over the side.

“Lorenzo! You haven’t walked in a month. You can’t…” said Alexis.

He didn’t listen. He tried standing up, but his legs collapsed to the floor under his heavy weight. 

“Lo!” Alexis ran to the door and called for the nurse. “Help! He fell down! I need someone in here!”

She ran back to Lorenzo who was struggling to sit up. She pulled him into a sitting position. “You can’t leave this hospital. You just got out of ICU.”

He didn’t answer, but continued his struggle to get his legs under him.

“You’re going to hurt yourself…”

Several nurses ran in the room and grabbed him under each arm helping him back on the bed. 

“Mr. Alcazar, you can’t stand up without…” said a nurse.

“GET OUT!” he yelled. “OUT!!” Alexis knew if he could hit or throw something in that moment, he would, but he was struggling to even stay upright.

The nurses left with quick feet and wide eyes at his sudden outburst. 

“Lorenzo…”

“God dammit!” He let off cry of absolute agony. It shattered her to hear his pain. He sucked in wheezing breaths as convulsing sobs shook his body.

“Oh, Lo.” Alexis crawled up on the bed and pulled him into her arms. His head rested on her chest and his hands gripped her shirt. “I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so sorry.”

“You warned me. You warned me he was too angry.” He was completely out of breath.

“Breathe, Lo. Breathe, love. Slow your breath.”

Alexis felt so helpless. He was inconsolable. On and on his raw, acute grief rolled through him. As soon as he would calm, his thoughts would race again and he would grunt or sob, and his lungs would lose air yet again.

“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped him. I should’ve done something,” said Alexis.

He shook his head. “Diego is a hard-headed boy, Alexis. You did what you could.”

“You think he killed Carly?”

Lorenzo nodded. “If he thought she was responsible for what Sonny did to me, it’s something he would do. And doing it in her home with Michael and Morgan there...God.”

“It’s so tragic.”

His voice turned sour, “Jason must’ve tracked him down at the pier.”

“You don’t know that.”

Lorenzo lifted his head off her chest and looked in her eyes. A cold rage was building in their depths. “Come on, princess. Sonny and Carly were killed within a month of each other. There is no way Jason would let that go without retaliation.”

Alexis held his face in her hands. “And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you planning your retaliation on Jason? You don’t even have any of the facts. What are you going to do? Kill him? Kill Sam? Michael? Morgan?”

“It would serve him right.”

“Then when the hell would it end?” she said exasperated.

“When Jason’s blood pays for Diego’s!” The way he spoke was as though his words were fact. Absolute truth that just needed to be accepted.

“Then who pays for Jason’s blood? You? Me?”

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You’ve been unconscious for a month! How can you say that?!”

“A moment ago you trusted me to keep you safe.”

“A moment ago, I thought you were keeping promises to get out of the business.”

“This is personal! It isn’t business.”

She wanted to hit him to knock some sense into him, but restrained herself. “Death is ALWAYS personal, Lorenzo. Your business is personal to every single victim and the people who love them. You can’t kill anyone over this.”

He shook his head and turned away from her. “I just lost my son! I can’t talk about this right now!”

A knock sounded at the door. It opened to find a security guard and a couple of nurses coming in. One of the nurses spoke. “The doctor prescribed a sedative, Mr. Alcazar.”

Alexis stepped off the bed between them. “No, he just lost his son. He didn’t mean to…”

“He’s going to hurt himself.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t. His son was just killed! Give the man a break!” Pressure was building in her pelvis, the sensation of a menstrual cramp. She needed to settle down.

“Don’t worry, Alexis. They’re not getting anywhere near me with that needle,” said Lorenzo. “I’ve been asleep a month. I won’t let them touch with that stuff again.”

“Please,” she pleaded to the nurses, she tried to ignore the pain in her back. “I can calm him. I can take care of him.”

Lorenzo was sitting still on his bed. The nurses’ faces were painted with worried compassion, and seemed to be giving in now that he was no longer yelling or trying to walk.

“No more getting up without help,” said the nurse. “And no yelling at our staff. We’re sorry for your loss, but we can’t put our staff at risk.”

“He won’t,” she assured them. Alexis forced herself to stand up straight. She couldn’t let Lorenzo know she was in pain. She couldn’t let him know why. When she composed herself, she turned back to him. He seemed to be ignoring the nurses and disappearing deep inside his mind. She suspected that wasn’t necessarily a good thing either. 

The nurses left Alexis and Lorenzo, but kept the door open. 

Alexis walked back and sat next to him, hoping getting off her feet would settle the cramps. He was vibrating with tension, a trap ready to spring. Alexis took his hand, yet he gave no response.

“I’m so sorry, Lorenzo.” She didn’t know what else to say.

He just sat there silent and tense. 

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked. How do you console a man who just lost his son?

His tears were gone. In their place smoldered a quiet rage. She could see the wheels turning in his mind. He was thinking. He was planning, strategizing.

“What are you thinking?” she asked gently.

“You don’t want to know,” he said roughly.

“You’re planning your revenge, aren’t you? Diego’s blood is still on the pavement, and you’re already thinking of how to get Jason’s there, too.”

“I’m not doing anything without confirmation. And I sure as hell can’t get my revenge if I can’t even walk out of the goddamn hospital.”

Thank God for that.

“Lorenzo, you can’t kill him. You promised you’d get out of the business. You promised me a different kind of life.”

“My son was murdered for killing a murderer. He did a public service. Killing Morgan would be no different.”

Alexis could tell he genuinely believed that. The pain in her stomach hit again. “You can’t kill him.”

“I can’t let him get away with this.”

“Agh!” the pain shot sharp and acute, and made her bend over uncontrollably. 

“Alexis?” His hand settled on her back. She heard his concern.

Should she use the baby to try to convince him to do the right thing? What if he still made the wrong choice, and she gave up the only protection the baby had, her silence?

She couldn’t say anything. 

“Please understand, Alexis,” he said. She breathed a sigh of relief that he thought her moan one of anguish rather than pain. “If I let Jason get away with this, it puts me at risk. And what puts me at risk puts you at risk. Other dangerous people will think I can’t take care of my own. They’ll see me as just rolling over and letting Morgan destroy my family. I’ll be vulnerable.”

The pain wasn’t easing. She couldn’t have this conversation right then. 

She couldn’t even breathe!

She needed to get to the ER. Something was wrong. There was too much pain. 

“I need to go.”

“Don’t go,” his hoarse voice cracked. “I just lost my son; I can’t lose you, too.”

“You won’t lose me if you make the right choice.” She knew she couldn’t convince him with logic or moral persuasion. She used the only play she had. “If you or any of your men kill Jason, I’m done, Lorenzo. I’m gone.”

“Alexis…” He grabbed her arm, and she pulled away, getting off the bed.

“I need to leave.” She needed to get to the ER.

“Please don’t go.”

She forced her body up straight and walked to the door. “I need some time...Think about what killing Jason would mean while I’m gone. Think about how lonely your life would be at the top, if you survived trying to kill him.”

“Alexis!”

She opened the door and told the guard. “Lorenzo wants to speak with you.”

She closed the door behind the guard and took off around the corner to ditch him as quickly as possible. She found the elevator and hit the ground floor button before she bent over in pain. “Oh baby. Hang in there. Mommy’s going to make sure you’re ok. Even if Daddy won’t.”

_____________________________________________

 

Alexis spent the night in the emergency room. After a battery of tests, she was given a diagnosis: cervical insufficiency. Her cervix was smaller than it should be, putting her at risk for premature labor and miscarriage. 

At this point in her pregnancy, nothing could be done, aside from bed rest. How was she supposed to explain that to Lorenzo? She couldn’t console him through the loss of his son because she was trying to cook him up another? If this one even survived!

She’d have to break up with him until he got out of the business. It was the only way.

How was she supposed to take care of herself on bed rest alone? She wasn’t supposed to take baths or showers. She wasn’t supposed to cook or clean. She couldn’t imaging giving herself sponge baths when she was six, seven, eight months pregnant...if she even made it that far.

Too much. Too much had happened in the last few months. Lorenzo was a wrecking ball in her life! Her marriage was destroyed, she was pregnant, shot at, and still possibly in danger. Her boyfriend was nearly killed, his ex was killed, his son was killed, and his rival was killed. 

Too damn much! No wonder her body wasn’t working right.

And now she had to worry about Lorenzo killing more people and whatever collateral damage would arise from that.

Alexis was backed into a corner. She needed help. She couldn’t do this alone. Who could she trust?

She made two phone calls as she lie in the ER bed. The first call was to Nora Buchanan and the second to her husband.

____________________________________________

 

Ned rolled her wheelchair into the elevator. “Why are you going back up to his room?”

“I need to end things with him.”

“Why don’t you just call him? This plan of yours isn’t good for the baby. You’re not supposed to be walking.”

“Lorenzo isn’t very good at taking no for an answer. He needs to understand how serious I am, or he’ll send his men after me.”

Ned sighed and rolled his eyes. “That’s insane, Alexis. That’s a controlling stalker, not a boyfriend.”

“I know.” She hated that she loved it. “Thank you for helping me, Ned. I know I don’t deserve it.”

“What am I supposed to do, Alexis? Leave my pregnant wife to fend for herself?”

“No one would blame you.”

He just sighed. The doors opened to Lorenzo’s floor.

“You sure about this?” he asked.

“I’m sure. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Ned helped her out of the wheelchair. “Good luck.”

She nodded and stepped forward. After she turned the corner to Lorenzo’s room, she noticed his guard wasn’t outside the open door. As she stepped closer, she heard voices talking in hushed tones. Familiar voices.

“What assurances do I have you’ll allow us to leave untouched?” said Lorenzo’s weak, gravelly voice.

“We both know the government is giving me a trial period to take over the arms distribution.” It was Derek Wells. “I’m sure you could find a way to sabotage that lucrative relationship for me if I were to turn on you.”

Alexis peered into the room just as Lorenzo responded, “Fine. Take care of Morgan and I’ll sell you everything. The entire business is yours.”

Derek smirked triumphantly and put out a hand to Lorenzo. Lorenzo hesitated only a moment before accepting the handshake.

“Ms. Davis…” said Lorenzo’s guard who was standing next to Derek Wells.

Lorenzo and Derek’s heads both snapped toward the door.

Alexis was staring at Lorenzo in complete shock. Did she just witness him order a hit on Jason?

“Alexis,” said Derek in a cheerful voice. “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Excuse us, Wells,” said Lorenzo.

“I’ll update you soon,” said Derek. Alexis stepped aside as Derek walked through the door. He touched her arm gently as he walked by. Alexis only had a glance to spare the man who was probably on his way out to kill Jason.

“Alexis,” said Lorenzo, reaching a hand out to her.

She shook her head.

“Alexis, let me explain.”

“Is there any explanation that doesn’t include you contracting that man to kill Jason?”

Lorenzo looked to the floor at her words. 

“I didn’t think so,” she said. “You’ve made this easy for me. We’re done.”

“Easy?” he barked hoarsely. “We’re not done. I told you, Alexis, we’re never going to be done! Get in here so we can talk about this.”

“No.”

“You know I’m just going to follow you. Don’t waste our time.”

“If you follow me, I’ll call the police and tell them what I just heard. If you follow me, I’ll put a restraining order on you.”

His face dropped in shock. 

“The same goes for your men. If I see any one of them near me I’m calling the police. Don’t call me. Don’t contact me. Stay the hell away from me.”

She took in his beautiful, heartbroken face one more time before she turned on her heel and ran around the corner to Ned.


	16. Captive

Captive

_______________________________

 

“Do you need anything else, Ms. Alexis?” said Alice, cleaning up after the sponge bath she just helped Alexis give herself.

“Not right now, thank you.”

“Just give me a call if something comes up.

“Um...Alice?”

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to say thank you. I know Tracy and Edward have been giving you a hard time for taking such good care of me, even with everything that happened between Ned and I.”

“You’ve always been kind to me, Ms. Alexis. You deserve to be cared for.”

Alexis wasn’t sure that was the case.

There was a knock on the door, and Alice went to answer it. “Mr. Ned, you brought up dinner?”

“I’d like to talk to Alexis if she’s feeling up to it.”

Alexis was eager for the company. Spending nearly a month heartbroken and alone had even the most staunch introvert begging for interaction. “Come in, Ned.”

It was still strange to her that she had to invite him into what was once his bedroom. He carried a large tray to the bed as Alice exited the room. He sat on his old side of the bed with the tray between them. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

Truthfully, she getting sick of having to be so grateful to him. She’d been surviving on his charity for the last month. Every meal she ate, every sponge bath Alice gave, every refill of her vitamins, every doctor’s appointment he took her to, she had to express her undying gratitude. 

She couldn’t wait until her baby was born and they could move to Llanview, just the two of them. The real estate agent Nora set her up with found a beautiful home for her just outside the city. It was on the banks of the Llantano River. It was a large house with plenty of space for guests in case Nikolas or Jax ever decided to visit. There was a pool, mother-in-law’s house, an enormous yard, and the most beautiful deck on the second floor overlooking the river.

Unfortunately, Nora and the agent had to do all the legwork for her, and she didn’t get to see the house or location aside from pictures, but Alexis put an offer on the place, and in a month’s time, the house would be hers. A fresh start, ready to go for when little Lo came out to meet her. And she wouldn’t be obliged to repeat unending thank yous to her husband and his family.

Soon to be ex-husband. In all her time alone, she had the divorce papers prepared, all she had to do was give them to Ned and she’d be Alexis Davis once more. The only reason she hadn’t given them to him yet was she didn’t think it all that courteous for her to repay his kindness with their divorce.

“How are you feeling?” asked Ned.

“Hungry. Bored.” Ungratefully grateful.

“And the baby?”

“He’s good. No cramps or spotting in weeks.”

“Good.”

“You brought me food?”

He uncovered the tray. There was two of everything. “I was hoping to join you tonight. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous.”

“Not at all. I’m pleased with the company.”

“It looks like butter chicken,” he smiled. “Cook said it was a special order from you.”

“I’m craving strong spices,” she said. “And butter and cream and everything terrible for me.”

He laughed, “Any other cravings?”

“Aside from cayenne on my popcorn?”

Ned scrunched his nose at the thought. 

They sat quietly eating awhile before Alexis finally asked, “Why are you here, Ned? You usually just check on me and leave.”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. I miss you, I guess.”

“You miss me?”

He nodded. “The only people I can talk to in this house anymore are Monica and Michael.”

“Your mother and grandfather still giving you a hard time about me?”

He shrugged like it was no big deal. 

“Monica’s been kind?”

Ned looked up. “Considering she’s allowing me to keep you here…”

“It is her house.”

Ned laughed.

“How’s Michael doing?”

Ned shook his head. “Not great, to be frank. He didn’t just lose his mother, Jason, and Sonny, but he lost his baby brother, too. Bobby Spencer won’t let Morgan over here to visit, and Junior won’t let Michael over there.”

“Tragic their guardians won’t put aside their silly grievances for the sake of the children.”

Ned looked at her a moment. His was gaze more intense than normal. She didn’t really think of Ned as an intense guy, so it unsettled her more than Lorenzo’s typical intensity.

“How’s the chicken?” she asked, trying to break the moment.

“Good,” he smiled. “A little too spicy for my taste, but still good.”

Alexis stifled her comment that the spice would hardly even register on Lorenzo’s palette.

They were able to get through most of their meal sticking mostly to small talk about family, food, and ELQ. It was a sweet gesture from Ned, to keep her company in such a pleasant, easy way. It wasn’t until the end of the meal when she had to ask him to help her to the bathroom that more unpleasant topics arose.

These trips to the toilet were the only times of days she was allowed on her feet except for her brief exercises to keep some muscle tone for the delivery. She was just over four months pregnant, and she could already feel the pressure on her pelvis. She could only imagine how difficult it was going to be when her belly was much bigger.

“I can really see your baby bump now,” said Ned. “I couldn’t tell so much when you were sitting.” 

“Yep, he’s growing. I can feel my belly stretching.”

“Is it painful?”

“The stretching? Not at all. Itchy though. Oh, you reminded me, I wanted to keep a bottle of lotion on the bed for when it hits.”

“I’ll grab it for you.” Ned grabbed the bottle and her arm as they made their way to the bed. 

When they settled her back into bed, Alexis took the lotion and rubbed it into her tummy. If Ned was Lorenzo, she’d ask him to rub the lotion in for her. But she stayed quiet and Ned sat watching. 

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

Alexis shrugged. It didn’t feel fair to talk to Ned about Lo, especially not about how much she missed him.

“Your eyes get so sad when you’re thinking about him.”

She nodded.

“You love him that much?”

She didn’t answer.

“You must love this baby even more than you love him to suffer so much.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “This baby needs me in a way he doesn’t. I’m responsible for this child’s safety and wellbeing. I’m not responsible for Lorenzo. I don’t get to make his choices.”

If she made his choices for him, Jason Morgan would still be alive, and not killed by the hand of Derek Wells two weeks after Diego was shot.

“Is it because you’re carrying his baby? Is that the hold he still has over you?”

Alexis shook her head. “I wish it was. This would be much simpler if that was the case.”

“You’re heartbroken,” he said.

Again, she didn’t respond.

He let out an ironic laugh and said with all the venom he’d been stuffing away, “If only you were so heartbroken at the loss of our marriage.”

“Maybe I was, Ned. It just so happens our marriage was lost years ago. I’ve grieved it plenty since then. And now, the father of my baby doesn’t know I’m having his baby as he grieves not only the loss of our relationship, but the loss of his son. I think it’s reasonable for me to be emotional about it.”

“I’m sorry, Alexis. It still gets to me sometimes.”

She nodded, but stayed quiet, even more tired of giving apologies than she was of giving gratitude.

Ned cleared their dinner tray from the bed and stood to leave. “Do you need anything else before I go.”

She shook her head. He left quietly with only a brief backwards glance as he walked out the door.

Alone again, and her thoughts were on Lorenzo. God she missed him!

She grabbed her phone and sent a text to Ramon, “How is he?”

The reply was almost immediate. “Not well. He’s leaving for Mexico soon to take Diego’s body to his mother for burial services.”

“Is he taking care of himself?”

“No ma’am, he’s not.”

Tears formed in her eyes at the pain he was having to endure by himself. He had to struggle with physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and his grief all on his own, but, damn it, that was his choice! His business got his son killed, but she wouldn’t let it kill hers.

If only she could have foreseen what was going to happen when she let him pull her into that closet all those months ago. Maybe she would’ve stopped him…

No, she was kidding herself. As she rubbed her belly, she knew she wouldn’t change a damn thing.

 

_________________________________________

 

Alexis woke up from a nap about a week later to a mop of red hair staring at her. 

“Michael!” she startled awake. “Hi.”

“Hi, Alexis. I brought you a donut. Grandmother took me to Kelly’s this morning.”

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

She accepted the maple donut he offered. She tried not to sniff at his obviously dirty hands that were holding the food he offered. She guessed she was going to have to get used to things like that when her own baby came.

“Are you bored?” he asked.

“Yes,” she laughed. “Terribly.”

“What do you do in here all day?”

She shrugged, “I read books. I watch television. That’s pretty much it.”

“Bed rest sucks.”

She nodded. “Yes, it does. Aren’t you glad you’re not on bed rest?”

“Yep. I’d go crazy in this house if I couldn’t go outside and play with the dogs. Do you miss going outside?”

She nodded, “I do.”

“I bet you miss your friends, too?”

She thought of Lorenzo and Sonny. “I do. I miss them dearly.”

“My dad?”

She nodded.

“I miss him, too. And my mom. And Jason. And my brother.”

“I bet you do. I’m so sorry, Michael.”

He shrugged.

“How’s it going with AJ?”

“Fine, I guess. I thought he’d spend more time playing with me. I’d rather be back at the penthouse with Max and Morgan.”

“AJ doesn’t play with you?”

“Not anymore. He used to when I first got here. Now, he just sits around his room and drinks his grown-up drink.”

Alexis turned up her nose, “All day? Everyday?”

“Pretty much. Then Grandfather Edward and Grandpa Alan yell at him to do something more productive.”

“I’m sorry you have to see that.”

He shrugged and jumped off the bed. “Well, I hope you like your donut. And I hope you don’t get too bored.”

“Where are you going?”

“Outside. I’m going to watch for the police again.”

“What do you mean? Watch for the police?”

“When Lorenzo Alcazar tried to come see you last week, Uncle Ned made the police take him away.”

Alexis dropped her jaw in shock. 

“One of the policemen let me turn on his siren. I’ve been watching the driveway ever since, hoping to see the flashing lights again.”

At that, Michael bounced out the door. Alexis set her dirty-fingered donut aside and picked up her phone. She dialed Ramon’s number.

“Yes, Ms. Davis?”

“You didn’t tell me Lorenzo tried to come by last week.”

“It was just before he left New York, ma’am. He was distraught and seeking your comfort. Your husband sent him away with the police.”

“He didn’t tell me Lorenzo came by.”

“Would you have agreed to see him?”

No, but…”Are you both still in Mexico? How were the services for Diego? How is Lorenzo doing?”

“Ms. Davis, I don’t think I should keep updating you on Mr. Alcazar,” he whispered. “If he finds out we’ve been in contact…” Ramon cut off.

“I’m sorry I’m putting you in the middle of this, Ramon. I just want to make sure he’s ok.” Alexis waited for Ramon’s response. She checked to see if the line was still connected. “Ramon?”

“Alexis?” Lorenzo was breathless.

“Lorenzo?”

“God,” his voice cracked, and she could hear his desperation. “Don’t hang up. Please, God, don’t hang up. I buried my son today. I just need to hear your voice.”

“I’m so sorry, Lo. I wish I...” She wished she could be there for him. “How was the service?”

“Are you still at the Quartermaines?” he ignored her question.

“I am.”

“Are you staying with Ned?”

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

“Are you fucking him?” She could hear the pain in his voice. She couldn’t be the reason he felt more pain.

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you there?!”

“Because you kill people. All that pain you’re feeling now at losing Diego, you make other people feel the same thing. Michael Corinthos is here now. He’s lost everyone he loves. Every last one of them, including Jason.”

“Morgan killed my boy, Alexis. He murdered him in cold blood.”

“And you did the same to him.”

“I didn’t kill him.”

“You ordered the hit.”

He grunted in frustration.

“I should go,” she said. “I shouldn’t have called. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

“You’ve been checking up on me with Ramon? For how long?”

She stayed quiet.

“How long?!” he demanded, his voice desperate. 

She could hear Ramon in the room with him. “Since she left.”

Lorenzo sucked in a breath, an obvious relief and the easing of a burden. “You still love me?” he sighed.

“Of course I love you, you silly man. Did you think I left because I fell out of love with you?”

“The way you looked at me. You were disgusted with me. I thought you hated me.”

“I was disgusted, Lorenzo. You were plotting a man’s murder. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“My sweet, complicated Cassadine.”

“Me loving you doesn’t change anything. You’re still in the business. You’re still killing people.”

“I’m getting out, Alexis! I’m selling everything to Wells that isn’t completely legitimate. I made you a promise. I’m still working on it.”

“Until someone offends you again, and you feel compelled to get your vengeance.”

“Murdering my only child is a one time thing, Alexis. No one’s going to be able to do that again.” 

“I told you what would happen if you killed Jason.”

“I know what you said. You told me that If one of my men or I killed Jason, then you would leave. But Wells doesn’t work for me!”

“Semantics. You contracted a hit. It’s the same thing.”

“Tell me we still have a chance, princess. Please. Tell me this wasn’t all for nothing.”

“I don’t know, Lorenzo. I honestly don’t know. I have more to consider than just wanting to be with you. I can’t risk the danger.”

“So what? You’re going to disappear in your Quartermaine tower and lock yourself away so life can’t touch you? So I can’t touch you?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“You’re a captive in your own life.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then explain it to me! Explain why you left me! You knew the man I was when you fell in love with me!”

“Well, maybe I changed! I can’t allow myself the same indulgences I once did.”

“Why not?! What aren’t you telling me?”

“Please don’t, Lorenzo.”

Lorenzo sucked in a breath, then cleared his throat. When he spoke again, he was all business. “Now I know you still love me, things are going to be different when I get back.”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“Everything’s changed. You love me. You want me. I just need to offload a few more assets. I need to…”

“You still killed Jason when I begged you not to!”

“I can’t do anything about that now. But I can get you back. I’m coming for you, princess.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I most certainly can. You’ll be in my bed by the end of the month, maybe two. It won’t take me long to get out.”

She shook her head. “Listen to me, Lorenzo.” She made her voice as strong as steel. “I can’t be with you. You’re a threat to me and everything I hold hear. Don’t push me on this.”

“I’ve heard everything I need to hear. You’re not fucking Ashton, you love me, and you want me. You’re just afraid. I can help you feel safe. I’ll keep you safe. When I get back into town, I’ll be more focused. I’ll double my efforts to get everything offloaded.”

“Lorenzo…”

“Have your bags packed for the end of the month.”

“You’re not listening…”

“I love you, Alexis.” 

“Lorenzo…”

“Say it again, princess. I need to hear it. I need to hear you say it again.”

She bit her lip knowing if she said it said it again, it would only encourage him. 

Maybe she wanted to encourage him…”I love you, Lorenzo.”

“Mmmm.” His moan of pleasure stimulated her aching, broken heart. “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“Everything has.”

_________________________________________________

 

Two days later, Michael got his wish of seeing more flashing, blue lights. Then again a week after that. Alexis may have refused to put a restraining order on Lorenzo, but Ned was more than willing to oblige. 

The restraining order kept Lorenzo away over a month. More than a month with no updates from Ramon, no attempts to get through the Quartermaines, and no sneaking in the house. 

Never had she felt so alone. At least on Cassadine Island she had Stefan.

Ned’s visits were becoming more frequent. At first, Alexis couldn’t tell if he was just being kind to keep her company, or if he had some other ulterior motive. She quickly found out when he came in her room to take her to her check-up with her OB…

“More paperwork was delivered from Llanview today,” said Ned, handing it over to Alexis before he prepared her wheelchair.

“Good.” She had been waiting on the paperwork for the title. She needed to get a notary to come to the house so she could sign on the dotted line for her new home with her baby. 

Ned helped her off the bed and into the wheelchair.

“So, you’re really going through with it, huh?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s for the best. As soon as I’m healed from childbirth, we’ll move. We’ll be safe there.”

Ned nodded. “Unless he tracks you down.”

“He hasn’t come for me in a long time. Maybe he’s done trying.”

Ned bent down to help her situate her legs on the footstand. “Why don’t you stay here, Alexis? You don’t have to do this alone.”

She shook her head. “I can’t stay here. How do you think your family would treat my bastard Alcazar baby? Besides, I’m getting good at being alone.”

Ned sighed and looked up in her eyes, “What if you and I got a place together? Just the three of us?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “The three of us? Like a family?”

He shrugged, “We are married. Things have been ok between us, haven’t they?”

“Oh Ned, you’ve been wonderful...I just...I can’t do it again. Now there’s a baby to think about.”

“It could be different this time. I’m not a terrible father.”

“You’re a wonderful father. I have no doubt.”

He scoffed and hung his head, “But not a great husband?”

“We were good together until we weren’t, Ned.”

He nodded, “You’re right, of course.” He looked away from her as he stood up. “Come on. Let’s get you to your appointment.”

She sighed at having to feel more gratitude for his help just as she was rejecting him. “Thank you,” she choked out.

After a rejection like that, there was no way to salvage any meaningful conversation unless it consisted of old resentments and unmet expectations. So they were quiet on their drive to the hospital. Alexis insisted on going into her appointment alone, wanting to avoid any sense of intimacy, of family connection between the baby and Ned.

It was a good thing, too, because the ultrasound given to her during the appointment left her with a shock to her system that would’ve left her far too vulnerable in the presence of Ned.

Ned was waiting for her at the nurses station near the elevators when she finished with Dr. Meadows. Ned was talking to Monica Quartermaine who was wearing her scrubs and white lab coat. Monica seemed to be comforting him, rubbing a hand on his back. 

Alexis steeled herself for whatever thinly veiled criticisms the Quartermaines would lob at her when the medical assistant wheeled her over.

Alexis put her head in her hand, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to prepare for the inevitable. She wasn’t looking forward to Monica’s barbs. Monica launched them less frequently than the rest of the family, but when she did, they were personal, clever, and hit where it hurt.

The wheelchair came to an abrupt stop. Alexis opened her eyes to confront whatever unpleasantness was in store…

But they hadn’t made it to the nurses’ station. A tall, imposing figure with broad shoulders and a tailored suit stood right in front of her. 

“Lorenzo…” 

He was staring down at her with the clearest expression of shock she’d ever seen. It took her a moment to realize he’d shaved his beard leaving him all the more expressive. Blue eyes flickered back and forth from her eyes to her belly. He closed his mouth only to give an audible swallow.

He dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her wheelchair close. His hands went straight to her face where he cupped her cheeks. “Alexis…” He looked her up and down. “Are you pregnant?”

She closed her eyes...all those months of secrets...all for nothing.

“Why are you in a wheelchair? Are you ok? Is the baby ok?”

She opened her eyes to see a pained look on his face. She hated when he was in pain. “We’re ok. I have a cervical insufficiency. There’s nothing to be done at this point aside from bed rest.”

“You’ve been stuck in bed? For how long?”

She couldn’t help but touch his face. His smooth cheeks were surprisingly soft. Part of her wanted to touch him all she could, because he might not want her after he processed her deception. “Since Diego was killed.”

“You’ve been dealing with this alone for months?”

“I’ve had help.” Alexis looked to the nurses station where Ned was talking to Monica. A low, angry growl rumbled through him when he spotted Ned. “Don’t get mad,” she pleaded. “I shouldn’t have too much stress.”

Lorenzo reeled himself in with a few deep breaths. 

Alexis turned to the MA pushing her wheelchair and excused her. 

When Lorenzo was calm, his hands dropped down her shoulders to her belly. His expression changed from one of anger to one of pure joy; ironically, the joy looked even more painful for him to endure than the anger.

His big hands covered her entire baby bump. No one, aside from the medical staff, had touched her stomach since she began to show. The intimacy of someone touching her baby took her aback. 

“How far along are you?” 

She touched his lips before she answered. She’d missed his deep rumbling voice so badly. “I’m five and half months.”

“More than halfway?”

She nodded. 

Lorenzo’s hands dipped under her shirt to feel her bare belly. She relished the familiar possessiveness of his touch. 

“You’re cold,” he noticed.

“It was the jelly from the ultrasound. I just wiped it off.”

One of his arms snaked around her back, and the other kept rubbing her belly. “Ultrasound?”

She reached into her bag that was hanging off the wheelchair and grabbed the picture Dr. Meadows just printed of the baby. It was a full length picture of their little one in profile. She held it up for him to see.

“That’s our baby? We made that baby?” he said, nearly giddy. It was contagious; she couldn’t help her smile.

“That’s our baby.”

Lorenzo’s hand finally came off her stomach to grab the back of her neck. He pulled her to his mouth and kissed her with a firm playfulness. 

When he pulled away, his face had fallen. “This is why you left me?”

She nodded.

“This is why you wanted me out of my business? You were protecting our baby?”

She nodded again.

“How long have you known?”

“Since the hospital in Llanview.”

He narrowed his eyes trying to remember…“You tried to leave me when we got back…”

“I’ve watched everyone I love die around me. My mother, father, brother, sister, and countless friends. My baby can’t be a part of a world as dangerous as the one I grew up in. I owe her more than my mother gave me.”

Lorenzo blinked. “Her? A girl?”

Alexis nodded, “I just found out only a moment ago.” 

“Ha! You’re having my baby girl? We’re having a daughter?”

He kissed her again, this time far less playful, and far more intimate. The kiss made her toes curl, and her neglected sex quiver. She pulled away, fearful she might climax and end up labor right there only halfway through her pregnancy.

“Come on, princess. Let’s take you home. You can do whatever you want the house. You can pick where you want the nursery. You can order furniture from all over the world. You can paint the walls any colors you want…”

“Lorenzo…”

“I’m pretty handy, I can try putting together a bookshelf for her. I’m sure you’re desperate to fill her shelves with Roald Dahl and…”

“Lorenzo, I’m not going home with you.”

He shook his head as though he must’ve heard her wrong. 

She confirmed for him. “Nothing’s changed. You’re still living the life of a criminal. I don’t know half of the threats you deal with every day. I won’t put my daughter in that kind of life. I’m staying at the Quartermaines’ until I have this baby, then I’m leaving town.”

Frustration and righteous indignation colored his face. “The hell you are. I gave you space while I was getting out of the business, but I never intended on letting you go. And don’t think for a second that I’m not going to be there in my baby’s life. To hell with the Quartermaines taking care of my woman and my baby!”

She shook her head. “You don’t have a choice. This is my body and my life. I told you, Lo, the only claim you had over me is the one I gave you.”

“HAD? The only claim I HAD over you?”

“You lost that claim when you murdered Jason,” she whispered.

“You are mine,” he growled in her ear. “And so is this baby. I’ve been systematically removing myself from the unsavory aspects of my business for you. I’m doing everything you asked.”

“Except not killing people.”

“He murdered my son!”

“Hey! Hey, get the hell away from my wife! Get security over here, this man is violating a restraining order!” Ned yelled as he ran to Alexis.

“Paralo!” Lorenzo instructed his guard. Alexis hadn’t even noticed Ramon standing by until he stepped between Lorenzo and Ned.

Alexis grabbed his face and demanded his attention. “If you think I’m angry about Jason, see what happens if you touch a hair on Ned’s head.”

Lorenzo snarled. “You don’t want me touching your husband?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

She could see the muscles in his jaw twitching in his rage at Ned’s imposition in his life. Only Lorenzo could make her husband into ‘the other man’ in their relationship. Alexis stared him down with everything she had.

“Fine,” he grumbled. He looked to Ramon and said, “Basta.” He let Ned through.

“Thank you.”

“Only to keep your stress level down,” he qualified.

Alexis put up a finger so Ned would give them a moment. Then, she handed the picture of their little one to Lorenzo. His face softened when he looked at their daughter.

“You just lost your son to your sick, violent world. I won’t let the same happen to our daughter, even if that means giving you up, too. I hope you can do what’s best for her and put our safety above your possessiveness.”

Lorenzo looked at the picture a moment longer before he tucked it into his inner jacket pocket. When he looked back to Alexis, he gently tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear. His hands rubbed her belly once more as he whispered low, “I’m a hair’s breadth away from getting out of the business. And if I thought leaving you and my little princess alone was safer than you being in my home, I’d walk away and never look back. But Diego’s dead because he wouldn’t let me take care of him. I won’t let that happen with my girls, Alexis. I’ve been putting up with your distance because I’m trying to respect your wishes. But, now this is about more than just us.”

He looked to Ned and continued, “And no man is going to care for my girls in my stead.”

“Lorenzo,” she shook her head. “You can’t steal me away from my Quartermaine tower just to lock me up in a Venezuelan one.”

He was dead serious when he said, “Watch me.”

He kissed her firm on the lips before he dropped his mouth to her belly and mumbled, “Papá viene por ti, princesa.” He kissed her belly and stood towering over her once again. Their eyes didn’t leave each other as Ned grabbed the wheelchair and pushed her to the elevator.

All Alexis could think when the doors shut on a pair of beautiful, blue eyes was that this couldn’t end well.

On the ride home, Ned asked, “He’s not going to leave you alone, is he?”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe he will.”

“I can double the guards tomorrow. Maybe Mac can spare a patrolman to make regular rounds.”

“Yeah,” said Alexis, but no part of her thought Ned’s security or Mac’s patrolmen were any match for Lorenzo’s determination. By the sheer of force of will the man could move mountains.

Ned looked sideways at her. “You’re tempted to go back to him, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been tempted for months, Ned. Today’s no different.”

He shook his head, “I saw the look in your eyes when he touched you. It was the same look I saw when you were dancing with him at the benefit. I’ve never seen you so in love.”

She looked out the window trying to avoid the hurt in his eyes.

“I wonder…” said Ned.

“What?”

“I wonder if I’m going to wake up one morning and find you cleared out of the house.”

She wondered that, too.

“Just make sure to say goodbye first, so I know not to worry.”

_____________________________________________

 

When Alexis was settled back in her room, she waited. She wondered how long it would take Lorenzo to arrive. She knew he was coming, the only question was how much of a fight was she going to put up?

Just after two a.m., when she was finally drifting off to sleep, she heard her bedroom door open. She could see his tall, dark form walk straight to her bed. She contemplated yelling out…until she saw his loving eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her and said, “I’m taking what’s mine.”

“You think you’re just going throw me over your shoulder and cart me off to places unknown?”

He caressed her cheek, “Less throwing you around, and more gentle lifting. That is, until you have my baby.”

“Are you going to, at least, pretend to ask my permission to take me away?”

He bent down and kissed her forehead before he asked, “That depends, are you going to say yes?”

She shook her head. “No. We’re not safe with you.”

He nodded. “Then, forgive your dark knight, princess. I only get this one chance to spirit you away, and I can’t allow you to stop me.”

Lorenzo turned behind him and said, “Ven.”

Alexis hadn’t noticed the other men coming in the room.

“Don’t worry, my love. I spoke with a doctor who said this shouldn’t cause any problems for you or the little one with just one use.”

Anxiety spiked through her, “Use of what?”

Alexis felt Lorenzo uncover her body and pull up her nightgown.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She was near paralyzed with anxiety.

One of his men knelt by the bed, and she felt a sharp sting on her ass.

“Lorenzo!” she yelled.

“Shhhh,” he kissed her gently and said, “Go to sleep, baby. I promise you’ll be safe. No one but me will touch you while you sleep.”

Lorenzo, she tried to yell again, but nothing came out. His blue eyes, dark with shadows, were the last things she saw before she was overtaken by sleep.


	17. Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues

_______________________________

 

Alexis had a hangover from hell, and was refusing to open her eyes in hopes she'd fall back asleep until she felt better. Then she remembered she was pregnant and hadn’t had anything to drink in ages. 

“Lorenzo,” Alexis grumbled his name like a curse, remembering the sharp sting of a needle on her ass. 

She could smell him. His scent was everywhere, engulfing her in its warm comfort.

She forced her eyes open. She was in a dimly lit room and was laying on the softest sheets she’d ever felt in her life. She forced herself into a sitting position to take in her surroundings. She was in a large bedroom decorated in an old world style, though far lighter than Wyndemere or Cassadine Island.

“Hola, Señora Davis.” Alexis hadn’t realized there was someone else in the room. An elderly woman was folding clothes and putting them in a dresser nearby. Alexis realized they were her clothes from the Quartermaine house. 

Did he ransack her room and bring everything over?

“Where am I?” she asked the woman.

The woman stifled a giggle and said, “La cama de Señor Alcazar.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Un momento, Señora.”

As Alexis watched the woman walk out the door, a terrifying thought took hold in her mind. “Am I in Venezuela?” she asked herself.

The drapes were closed, so she couldn’t see outside. 

She heard footsteps coming toward the room. It better be him.

Lorenzo walked through the door wearing one of his sexy suits. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair, then he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. 

Like a trigger of a gun, the sight of him set off all kinds of emotions, above all, ANGER. She let him know with all the venom she could muster in her expression what she was feeling at the moment.

She was pleased to see his stride falter as he stopped several feet away from the bed. He looked like a boy contemplating dipping his toe in the pool to check the temperature.

“Good morning, princess,” he said tentatively. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke. I took a call in the other room.”

“Where the hell am I?”

He waved an arm around the room. “You’re in my home.”

“Where?”

“Just outside the city.”

“What city?”

“Port Charles, of course.” He laughed, “You didn’t actually think I was stealing you away to Venezuela?”

“I was kidnapped from my bed in the middle of the night, and you’ve been threatening to export me like one of your firearms for months. What am I supposed to think?”

He smiled, “I should’ve put you to bed in a military cot, then you might’ve more accurately guessed your location.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Don’t try to be cute. I’m too angry for cute.”

“Apologies,” he said with a playful smile.

“Don’t say sorry when you don’t mean it.”

“Any other commands, your highness?” He was still smirking. 

His adorable, sexy face was as bald as the day before, showing off all his sharp lines and angles. “You look like your brother,” she sassed. “You’re behaving like him, too.”

His face dropped into an irritated scowl. “I told you I was more like him than you chose to believe.”

“Drugging the woman you’re supposed to love, holding her against her will...Yep, you boys really made Daddy proud.”

“Count your blessings we’re having a baby girl. Maybe she can break the cycle of enslaving our loved ones.”

She pounded a hand on the bed. “Take me home!”

“You are home.” His calm voice only agitated her further.

“You’re out of your mind, Lorenzo! You can’t do this to me! You can’t hold me prisoner!”

“You’re free to leave whenever you want.” He gestured to the door. “I just won’t be assisting you back into town.”

“Walking that could make me miscarry my baby.”

“Our baby.”

“So, I’m stuck. Where’s my phone?”

Lorenzo pretended to check his pockets. “I must’ve left it at the Quartermaines’.”

“Then give me your phone.”

“I left it at the Quartermaines’, too.”

She was pissed. She wanted to hit him where it hurt. “Ned’s going to come looking for me.”

Lorenzo smirked, completely unaffected. “Maybe. But seeing as how I place those beautiful, signed divorce papers I found in your dresser on the bed before we left, he might just think you came to your senses.”

Tears filled her eyes at the pain Ned must've felt at finding the divorce papers that way. “You bastard.” She closed her eyes and lay back on the all too comfortable pillows. “I hate you.”

Lorenzo closed the gap between them and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. “You love me.”

She opened her eyes to swing her arm back and slapped his face. It was a weak and pathetic slap, and he didn’t even have the courtesy to pretend it hurt. He just caressed her cheek. 

“I’ve waited ages to have you in my bed.” His eyes were glossy and wistful. 

“To imprison me in your bed, you mean. I’m surprised I’m not handcuffed to the damn thing.”

He smirked, “You’re on bed rest, princess. We’ll save the handcuffs for after the baby is born.”

She did her best not to react, though she too had the same fantasy on more than one occasion. 

“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked.

His hand traced down her body to her stomach, where he rubbed her belly over a silk nightie. She realized he must’ve changed her in her sleep because that wasn’t what she went to bed wearing.

“I’m doing this to keep you and our little princess safe. I can’t protect you outside my home. I just lost my son because he refused to do as I said. I won’t lose you, and I won’t lose our baby.”

She pouted, trying not to allow his recent heartache over Diego justify his current psychotic behavior. She pushed his hand off her belly. “You don’t get to touch me.”

He rolled his eyes, “That’s going to get a little difficult, seeing as how I’m the one who will be the one taking care of you for the next four months.”

“I don’t want you taking care of me.”

“Yes, you do. You’re going to love it. It’ll be far better than Ned putting his hands on you.”

“Ned didn’t touch me. Alice took care of me.”

Lorenzo smiled. “Good girl.”

“Why can’t I have that lady who was here earlier come help me?”

“Because I take care of what’s mine. You’ve already deprived me of the first half of this pregnancy, I won’t allow you to take away the rest.”

“You were there for most of it,” she said. “You just didn’t know.”

He smiled, “I was thinking about that. All these hormones...that’s what had you so damn sensitive?”

She remembered his mouth on her clit...“Shut up. I don’t want to talk about sex with you.”

“Why not?”

“Plenty of reasons, starting with not wanting to talk about sex with my kidnapper!”

“You see me as your kidnapper; I see me as your savior. Not only am I keeping you safe, but also sane.”

“How so?”

“Holing up with the Quartermaines would drive anyone crazy. That’s what got you in your current pregnant condition to begin with; they made you so miserable you started fucking a man who looked just like your sister’s killer.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be giving me reason to want to be here? You’re failing.”

He brushed that comment aside. “Tell me why else you don’t want to talk about sex with me?”

“I don’t owe you explanations.”

He grinned, “It gets you hot for me, doesn’t it?”

“You’re a narcissist.”

“I’m observant. Just the word ‘sex’ makes you flush.”

“I’m red because I’m angry.”

“Because you’re horny.”

“You’re absurd.”

"You getting a little Stockholm Syndrome, baby?"

She sneered.

He rubbed his hand down her blanket-covered leg. “So if I peek under those silk panties I wouldn’t find you wet and swollen?”

“I’m pregnant. I’m always swollen and the moisture is probably discharge.” 

He barked a laugh, “That may be true, why don’t we get a closer look?”

She hit him on the shoulder to push him away, “Don’t you dare!”

“Why not?”

“Because the last time you put your fingers in there I ended up in the ER and was sentenced to bed rest. Make me come again, and you might trigger premature labor.”

His face fell, no longer playing games. “I did that to you?”

She sighed, hating that she made him feel guilt over the wrong thing. “You didn’t do anything. I was on pelvic rest. I was restricted from sexual activity. I should’ve told you no, but I got caught up in the moment. And, honestly, there’s really no telling if it caused the cramping and bleeding, or if those symptoms were just inevitable.”

Lorenzo grabbed her hand, “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be more careful.”

“You didn’t know what you were doing. I’m the one to blame for that...But you know what you’re doing now.”

He cupped her cheek, “I DO know what I’m doing, Alexis. Please, trust me.”

There was no way in hell she was going to be ok with this. “No,” she spat.

He shook his head in frustration. “Headstrong woman.”

“Oh no,” she grumbled. One of the most frustrating inconveniences of pregnancy hit her hard and fast. She put her hand on her pelvis.

“Are you ok?” he asked, touching her belly.

She flushed red. “Where’s the bathroom? I need to go.”

“Here, I’ll take you.” He tried to cradle her, but she pushed him away.

“Get off me. I can walk. As a matter of fact, this is the only time I get to walk, so let me use the toilet by myself.”

“By all means…” he waved in the direction of a door near the windows. 

Alexis turned her body and got her legs off the bed. She grumbled as she stood, and wobbled on her feet before taking a step forward. She quickly lost her balance, and remembered she was still hungover from whatever he drugged her with. Lorenzo caught her easily by the waist and steadied her.

“Shut up,” she said.

He had the good sense not to speak. He just slipped an arm around her waist and escorted her to the bathroom. Without her request or permission, he lifted her nightgown and dropped her panties before helping her onto the seat.

She sat there squeezing her legs waiting for him to leave. “Can you go now? I don’t want to do this with you standing there.”

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Alexis. I’m on intimate terms with all your body parts. This isn’t a big deal. What if you fall over?”

“I’m sitting down. I’m not going to tip like a cow.” An unpleasant though fluttered through her mind. “Unless you think I look like one…”

“Stop...fine.” He walked out of the bathroom and stood at the door with his back to her. 

“You can still hear me from there.”

“That’s the point.”

“Lorenzo!”

“Come on, princess. I gave you space. Give me a little something in return; let me make sure you’re ok.”

She couldn’t hold it anymore anyway and let it go. Lorenzo walked back to her before she was even done.

“This better not become a habit,” she said.

“Only for the next four months.”

She shrugged before she wiped, “At least by the end of this you might find me marginally less attractive.” She flushed the toilet.

He bent down and lifted her into a cradle in his arms. “You don’t believe that for a moment.”

He was right, she didn’t. The closer they became, the more obsessed the man was. 

“I need to wash my hands.”

“I’ll take care of you, just relax.” He bypassed the sink and walked back toward the bed. 

“I can walk, you know.”

“I know.” He looked down at her lovingly. “So when do I get to give you a sponge bath?”

She sucked in a breath. “That sounds like a terrible idea.” A wonderful, erotic, terrible idea.

“I can’t wait. Give me a minute and I’ll give you a taste of what it could be like.” He set her down and moved away.

She shook her head and yelled after him as he walked back to the bathroom, “I’m not letting you give me a sponge bath!” 

“If you decide not to bathe at all, that’s fine with me! I don’t mind you stinky!” he called back. 

“I’m not stinky,” grumbled to herself as she lifted her armpit to smell it.

After a minute of hearing the water run in the bathroom, Lorenzo came out with a small basin of water in one hand, a pump soap container in the other, and a towel thrown over his shoulder. He sat on the edge of the bed and set the soap on the nightstand. He placed the towel on the bed and the basin on top. 

“You’re not giving me a sponge bath,” she repeated.

“I’m washing your hands.” He reached for her hand, but she yanked it away. His mouth set in frustration.

“I can wash my own hands.” She dipped them in the warm water. 

Lorenzo picked up the soap from the nightstand and waited for her to lift her hands to squirt some in her palm. When she lifted her hands, though, he grabbed tight to one her wrists. He set the soap down and pumped some into his hand and rubbed it into hers. 

"This is hardly a hand-washing. It's a massage," she moped.

He ignored her and kept rubbing. 

Damn sensual man! He rubbed the soap into a good lather, getting between each finger and in each nail bed. He scrubbed her palm and the pads of her fingers. As he moved up her wrist, she contemplated if she was sterile enough to perform a surgery.

“You know you take everything too far,” she said.

"Says the daughter of the man who tried to freeze the world." Lorenzo dipped her hand into the bowl to rinse off the soap. He set her hand on the towel and went to work on the other one. “Why are you opposed to me treating you the way you deserve?” he asked as he massaged her knuckles.

“The way I deserve?...Kidnapped? I deserved to be kidnapped?”

“Stop. I didn’t kidnap you; I brought you home.”

“I bet your father said the same thing to your mother.”

His mouth set into a hard line. “Hardly. My father relished his coercion of her.”

“And what do you call this?” she wiggled her fingers in his hands. 

“I call it doting on my princess. She’s making me a baby, and I’m going to do everything I can to make her comfortable.”

It angered her more that he really was doting. The way he touched her was reverent and sweet. She didn’t realize when she stopped fighting him, just that she was reluctantly enjoying his touch. When he put the basin aside, he wiped her hands gently with the towel.

“All that was for nothing, you know,” said Alexis. “I have to get up now and brush my teeth.”

“Touching you is never for nothing.”

She pouted again; he was going to make it so damn hard to stay angry.

 

___________________________________________________

 

Lorenzo spent the day obsessively caring for her every whim. When her hair was irritating her neck, he had the help run to the store to buy her hair bands. When she was having a hot flash, he turned up the air conditioner and wore a jacket. When she felt nauseous, he brought her ginger ale. 

She did what she could to avoid talking to him, which mostly meant watching television, and she wasn’t typically one to watch much TV. She hated that she had to ask him for help even when she was trying to keep herself busy enough to not have to ask him for more help.

“Did you bring all my possessions with you?” she asked.

He nodded, “Pretty much. If there was anything we missed, I can send someone. Do you need something?”

“I had a book on my nightstand at the Quartermaines’.”

He laughed, “I noticed.”

“Why are you laughing?”

He moved to her nightstand and opened the drawer. He pulled out the book. She tried not to smile at his thoughtfulness of keeping her book bedside for her. He held it up with raised eyebrows, “The Metamorphosis?” 

“Give it.” She held out a hand.

He gave it to her and chuckled. 

“I know what you’re thinking…” she said.

“That you’re equating your physical changes to Samsa’s?” 

“Well, I AM going through my own metamorphosis.”

“But your changes are not metaphorical, nor grotesque. They’re beautiful.”

“You don’t think my changes have been more than physical?” She thought of her miserable life before the Christmas party...before Lorenzo pulled her into that closet. She was a different person.

“Your behavior has changed, but your identity has not.”

“Samsa was the same internally before and after his metamorphosis. It was everyone around him who changed.” 

“If you insist on equating yourself to a cockroach or whatever bug he turned into, then I get to be one with you. What do you think, a dung beetle?”

“More like a scorpion.”

“Is that even an insect?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s my metaphor.”

“Then your transformation is into a butterfly.”

Alexis shook her head, “No, I need to be something large and round. I imagine myself a couple months from now rolling around on my back, unable to get up, shrieking, and throwing my limbs around until you turn me over.”

“First of all, I knew your neurotic brain was making your physical transformation into something less beautiful than it really is. Second, I happen to like the idea of you on your back, screaming, and waiting for me to turn you over.”

She couldn’t help but laugh and throw her book at him. He grinned and dodged it easily.

“Ow!” she felt a pain in her leg from the sudden movement.

“Are you ok?" Lorenzo bent over her caressing her stomach.

She sucked in a breath and rode out the cramp. “I’m fine. Everything is stretching and loosening and cramping. The doctor said these kind of pains are normal.”

“Where does it hurt?”

“My leg. But it's fine now. Gone as soon as it arrived.”

Lorenzo pulled back the blanket to take a closer look. Alexis eyed her unshaved legs and blushed in embarrassment. 

“No, don’t!” She tucked her legs close to her body, stimulating the cramp again. “Ow!” 

Lorenzo pulled her leg out and started massaging. She buried her face in her hands as he rubbed her thighs.

“This is mortifying,” she said.

“What?”

“I need to shave. There hasn’t been a need…”

He smiled. “When I changed your nightgown I noticed you went au naturale everywhere.”

“That’s invasive. I can’t see myself down there. You can’t expect me to wield a blade.”

“I like it. And you still taste like you.”

Her eyes grew wide, “You didn’t.”

He shrugged. She really couldn’t tell if he was joking.

“You’re insane.”

“Like you’ve never copped a feel in my sleep.”

She flushed. “I’ve never drugged you and taken advantage of you.”

“Anytime you’d like to try…”

She batted his hands away from her body. “Seriously. Don’t touch me. I can’t with you right now.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “Fine. Can I get you anything?”

“My book.”

“Ok, but if you pull a muscle in your groin the next time you throw it at me, I’m going to be much more thorough in rubbing it out.”

“Then I’ll have to restrain myself.” 

Lorenzo handed her the book. She opened it up and pretended to read, hoping he would go away and give her space. Of course, he didn’t. He walked around the bed and sat down against the headboard next to her. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearly not trying to sleep, but resting his eyes.

She stared at the book, but couldn’t see the words. Being in such close proximity to that man without a physical connection with him felt wrong. But how could she ignore all the crazy things he’d done because she liked the way he felt against her skin?

It hadn’t even been a full day since he drugged her and kidnapped her, and she was already giving into her baser instincts.

No. She wasn’t going to do it. She wasn’t giving in until he admitted he was wrong for taking her, and he proved he was out of the business.

“Trouble reading?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Your reading glasses are next to you on the nightstand.”

She huffed and put the book down. 

Lorenzo grabbed his own reading glasses from his nightstand and picked up her book. “It’s been a long time since I read Kafka.”

He opened the book to her dog-eared page and read allowed, “Often he lay there all night long. He didn’t sleep a moment and just scratched on the leather for hours at a time. He undertook the very difficult task of shoving a chair over to the window. Then he crept up on the window sill and, braced in the chair, leaned against the window to look out, obviously with some memory or other of the satisfaction which that used to bring him in earlier times.”

Alexis smiled, “And you don’t think there are metaphors there?”

He chuckled and read on. His deep rhythmic voice was all she heard. Such a pleasant sound, sensual and soothing. The image of him lecturing as a history professor came easily to mind. 

Her eyes fell closed just to listen to his voice. In no time at all, she was fast asleep.

 

___________________________________________

 

“Alexis…” she heard Lorenzo’s soft voice whisper. In that vague in-between of asleep and wake, she knew she was in his arms, spooned from behind, but she was blissfully unaware of anything else.

Her head rested on one of his arms, and his other hand was caressing her belly. She was cocooned in his embrace. His lips trailed kisses down her neck, his tongue licking gently.

So natural, so blissful. She heard herself hum in contentment. 

“I hate to wake you, baby. But you haven’t eaten in a while, and your stomach is growling. I’d hate to have a repeat of Llanview.”

She lay there a moment, as her mind shifted to more conscious awareness. She didn’t want to move. The more awake she became, the greater her anxiety built knowing she should push him away, but she pretended to linger in semiconsciousness to stay just a little longer in his arms. 

“Socorro made you an ensalada con chile verde,” he said. He kissed down her jaw edging toward her mouth. Just before he reached her lips, her anxiety peaked and she pulled away.

Lorenzo kissed her shoulder and sat up behind her. She forced herself to sit up with him. 

“We shouldn’t be sleeping together,” she said.

“We will be sleeping together tonight. We slept together last night. But, if it makes you feel better, I wasn’t sleeping with you right now. I've been working.”

She looked at the clock, it was late afternoon. Lorenzo grabbed a tray of food he had on the nightstand and placed it on the bed. The plate was huge and piled high. Alexis wasn’t sure if it was Lorenzo or Socorro who was concerned she wasn’t eating enough.

Lorenzo took the only fork on the tray and speared some romaine sprinkled with a light green sauce. He brought it to her lips.

“You are not going to feed me,” she said.

He looked confused, “You let me feed you flan.”

“That was before you kidnapped me.”

“Then let me feed my little princess.” He tried feeding her again.

“No.” She grabbed the fork and put the bite in her mouth herself. It was spicy and citrusy and hit every pregnancy craving she’d ever had. “Dear God, it’s delicious.” 

Lorenzo grinned watching her take another enthusiastic bite.

“This woman cooks for you all the time? How do you not weigh four hundred pounds?”

“Here, try the carnita.” He picked up a piece of meat and brought it to her lips. Without thinking, she took a bite. It took a moment to realize she just allowed him to feed her. 

“You’re playing dirty, Mr. Alcazar. You’re using food to manipulate a pregnant woman.”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’m just taking care of my girls.”

“This is good. I’ve never really cared for spicy food, but that’s all this baby wants to eat.”

He touched her belly, “You’ve got a Venezuelan in there, princess. We like our food with flavor.”

“Did you eat?”

He shook his head. After a brief hesitation, and maybe from the high of eating good food, or from the endorphins rushing to ease the spice on her tongue, she offered him a bite. 

Lorenzo smirked before he took the bite, but was smart enough not delay the act or rub it in. So, when she took a drink of water, she offered the glass and he graciously accepted.

They nearly finished the plate between the two of them, and when Lorenzo returned from taking the tray back to the kitchen, she found herself wanting to thank him. She stopped herself, though, fed up with feeling gratitude. She didn't have to feel gratitude to her captor.

“Do you need anything else, princess?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Ok. I’m going to step into the room across the hall for a bit. Call out if you need me.” He turned and walked out of the room.

Her eyes opened in surprise. He left her alone? She looked around the big empty room and shrugged.

Funny how when Lorenzo finally gave her space, it didn’t make her feel better. She remembered the alone feeling of being at the Quartermaines’ house. She never had a problem being alone before. She wondered why it so was unsettling now.

Maybe it was because she was kidnapped and living in a strange place.

She needed to use the restroom, so she swung her legs over the bed and prepared to stand up. Now that the drugs were out of her system, she was much more sturdy than earlier in the day. She used the facilities and freshened herself up. 

She felt so refreshed when she washed her face, she realized she was going to have to allow that sponge bath at some point. She was just so grossed out by her body changing, stretch marks, swollen joints, and au naturale grooming, that she didn’t want Lorenzo to see her. She knew intellectually that she should bear these changes with pride, but when she thought of baring the changes to Lorenzo, she couldn’t help but want to avoid.

While Lorenzo was out of the room, she did some of the stretches and exercises her doctor recommended for keeping up her muscle tone. When she first went on bed rest, she thought them silly. But after months of immobility, she realized now necessary they were, especially facing childbirth.

She tried to push the thought away of pushing a baby out of her vagina. Even Lorenzo’s cock wasn’t that big, and he hurt on the rare instance she wasn’t ready for him. 

Still, she was anxious without him. She wondered what he was up to. Business? Would he let her listen in, or was he doing something he shouldn’t?

She wandered out of the bedroom and into the hall. A quiet murmuring was coming from the room across from Lorenzo’s. She looked inside. 

It was obviously a teenager’s room. Messy floor, inappropriate posters of objectified women on the walls. Diego’s room.

Lorenzo was sitting at the foot of the bed staring at a picture of his son and him hanging on the wall. In his hands was a Catholic rosary. He was fingering the beads and whispering repetitive prayers in Spanish.

As though he felt her presence, he turned. 

She gave him an apologetic look for her intrusion. “I’ll give you privacy.”

“No, don’t.” He pat the bed beside him. “I only came here because I didn’t want you growing too tired of my hovering.”

She walked over and sat next to him bumping his with her shoulder. “Since when have you cared about being overbearing?”

He wrapped an arm around her and said, “Believe it or not, princess, I want to give you everything your heart desires.”

She huffed, “Except freedom.”

“I prize your safety and your wellness above your freedom.”

She ignored that comment. “This was Diego’s room?”

“Yeah.”

“You were praying for him? Don’t let me interrupt you.”

He shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what good the prayers will do. Murderers aren’t easily forgiven. Ten commandments and all that.”

“You’re praying for his soul?”

Lorenzo nodded. 

“He was a child. Surely your religion accounts for the lack of brain development, particularly in male adolescents, as well as chronic environmental factors influencing the development of his morality when considering eternal damnation?”

“You’re trying to impose your logic on the spiritual, Alexis. It doesn’t work. I’ve tried.”

“What kind of God would give logic to people and expect them not to use it?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know what I believe anymore. The prayers are more ritual than anything. A way to feel close to my son.”

“Or is it Pascal’s Wager?”

“Pascal was a fool. It’s belief that makes faith authentic and meaningful. Pretending to believe just makes you a liar.”

“And what are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Going through the motions of a father who lost his son.”

A tear dropped from his eye. It hurt her heart so terribly to see him in pain. Alexis stood and faced him. She cupped his smooth cheeks in her hands and wiped away his tear. 

“I’m sorry wasn’t there for you,” she said. “I wanted to be...so badly.”

More tears fell. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. His face rested on her belly and his body shook. Alexis stroked his hair and let him cry.

When his tears ran dry, he pulled back to kiss her belly.

“I’ve got another chance at this. I promise I won’t mess it up,” he said.

She sighed, making her own Pascal’s Wager in a prayer that this time would be different.

“Let’s get you to bed,” he said. "You shouldn't be on your feet this long."

He stood up and bent to pick her up. She let him cradle her in his arms, knowing how much it meant to him to be doing something to care for and protect the people he loved. And this time, when he asked if she needed something, she indulged him.

“Watch a movie with me?” she asked.

He nodded. “Popcorn?”

“With butter and cayenne.”

He smiled gently, “You do have a little Venezuelan in you.”

She let him hold her while they watched “The Pain and the Yearning.” He didn’t even complain much, like Ned always did, at least, not until the third hour.

She didn’t fight him when he stripped off his clothes and cuddled her from behind to sleep. Self-consciousness even had her acquiescing to one of his previous requests, “Lorenzo?”

“Hmm?” he kissed behind her ear. 

“You can help me with a bath tomorrow.”

He chuckled, “My pleasure.”

"That doesn't mean I forgive you for kidnapping me."

"I wouldn't assume," he assured her.

She closed her eyes with his warm body comforting her. 

“Lo?” 

“Yes, princess?” She could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not expecting me to be grateful all the time. I'm tired of having to be grateful.”

“Why would I do that? I’m the one grateful to you.”

“Why?”

He kissed her neck. “For being you...For gestating...For loving me.”

She smiled. “This prison isn’t so bad, you know.”

“Just wait until I bring out the whips and chains.”

She snuggled back into him. She tried to go to sleep, but a need was building in her that couldn’t be ignored. 

She rolled over in his arms and stared up into his eyes. She loved the way he looked at her, like she was the most precious thing in the world. 

She kissed him goodnight.


	18. Freedom

Freedom

_______________________________

 

Alexis walked back from the bathroom at three in the morning. Only the intense pressure of her little princess’s head on her bladder could’ve pulled her away from Lorenzo’s warm embrace. His sleep wasn’t disrupted at all by her jostling around to get out of bed. 

Part of her thought, Poor Lo, so exhausted. Then she remembered why he was so tired. He spent most of the previous night kidnapping her. Or saving her, as he delusionally thought.

She crawled back into bed to watch him sleep. His five o’clock shadow was visible even in the moonlight. It was impossible when looking at him like this, so quiet, so vulnerable, to maintain her hostility toward him. 

He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen...and possibly the most screwed up. If it didn’t put her baby at risk, she would’ve mounted him, so aroused she was by this strong, powerful, naked man in bed with her. How screwed up did that make her?

She thought of their kiss before they drifted off to sleep. It reminded her so much of their first. The sensation of falling. The rush of pleasure and need. The intimacy and connectedness. His tongue, his mouth, his arms. Him. To want and be wanted.

She remembered asking him several months ago why it was like this with them. The passion, the intensity. He said they saw each other in a way no one else could. But she decided it was more than that. It was like they were crafted for each other. Their respective lives building the perfect mate for their souls. Their parents, their siblings, their traumas, all their eccentricities, leading them to each other.

“Why aren’t you in my arms?” he rumbled, interrupting her musings. She couldn’t even tell his eyes were open.

“No good reason.”

He opened his arms and invited her in. She looked down at his bare chest and wanted to feel it against her skin. She pulled off her nightgown and tossed it aside before cuddling back into his arms.

“I think we’re going to need a new bed this fall,” he said as he squeezed his chest against her back. It was really the best way to sleep together now that her stomach was getting big.

“Why?” 

“Because there’s no way in hell it’s going to withstand the beating it’ll take when the doctor gives you the all clear.”

She chuckled. “What are you planning, Mr. Alcazar?”

“Since newborns sleep most of the day, I figure we can use that spare time to make up for all this forced celibacy.” He nibbled on her ear.

“You think I’ll be in this bed next fall?”

He paused his oral attentions. “Where the hell else would you be?”

“Um...before you stole me away, I was in the process of buying a house.”

He huffed. “I saw that. Your paperwork is in the desk over there. You can rent it out or something and live here.”

“Um...no. I’m not renting out my new house. I’m living in it.”

“Hmpf. Moving to Llanview? I’ve never considered a move to Pennsylvania.”

“Well, you’re not invited.”

His arm dropped and she felt a pinch on her ass, much more gentle than times previous. “I think you’ve noticed, I’m not concerned about the formalities of invitations. If you’re in Llanview, I’m in Llanview.”

“I’m not kidding, Lorenzo. Until you’re out of the business, little Lo and I won’t be living with you.”

“Wait...Little Lo?” he said amused as he put both hands on her belly.

Thankfully, the dark hid her blush. “Um...It’s what I’ve called her in my head all this time, you know, before I found out she was a girl.”

“Like you were carrying around a little me in there?” 

She glanced over her shoulder to see his knee-weakening smile. She shrugged.

“When I think of her, I see a little princess,” he said. “Big, brown eyes, smart as a whip.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“Seriously, Lorenzo. I’m not letting your business anywhere near her.”

“Alexis…”

“Think of Sonny, Jason, Carly, Kristina...Think of Diego.”

“I do, baby. I think of Diego everyday, all day. I’m not kidding when I tell you I’ll be out of the business before she gets here. I’m not losing another child, and I’m not losing you. Remember, I decided to get out of the business for you. I didn’t know about our baby when I agreed to this.”

Alexis turned in his arms and looked up into his eyes. “You love me.”

A pained look crossed his face. “This affair we’ve had has been simultaneously the greatest affliction and the greatest gift of my life. Above all things, I love you.”

She sucked in a breath as her heart raced, not knowing how to handle that level of adoration. An image of him jumping in front of the bullet for her flashed in her mind. He meant every word he said.

“You must be out of your mind,” she said, “to love me, of all people, that much.”

He smiled indulgently. “I did kidnap you, and I’m holding you against your will. I guess that must make me crazy. But if being sane meant loving you less, I want nothing to do with it.”

Alexis laughed, “You know, you don’t actually have to be sane, but you can try to act like it sometimes.”

“You like me like this, loving you maniacally, obsessively.”

“I like when you love me enough to listen to me, too. To trust me.”

“I trust you with my life, princess.”

“Then trust me to make the right decisions for protecting our baby.”

He grunted, “But I know I can keep the two of you safe. How can you expect me to let go of that control when I just lost my son who wouldn’t let me do the same for him?”

“Because if you don’t give me my free will, you never really had me anyway.”

“Princess…” He pulled her to his mouth and kissed her firm and deep. He was dominating and possessive, plunging his tongue down into her mouth. His hard erection pressed against her leg telling her how he really wanted to prove his point, that she was his no matter what she said about free will.

But Alexis knew better.

_________________________________________

 

Alexis should’ve known that anything Lorenzo said he was going to do, he would take it way too far.

“Where did you get all this from?” she asked.

“A hospital supply store.”

“That’s excessive.”

“Not for what I have planned.”

“When did you have time to pick it up? You’ve been with me constantly.”

“I have staff.”

Alexis watched him set up his elaborate bathing...what was the word for it? System? Station? 

Alexis sat on her side of the bed with no clothes on. She noticed her self-consciousness had decreased dramatically over the past twenty-four hours. She could only attribute the change to Lorenzo’s enthusiasm for her body undeterred by her neglect and gestation. 

Lorenzo invited her over with a pat of his hand on the layers and layers of hospital strength absorbent padding he set up to keep the bed dry.

“Alice certainly wasn’t this thorough,” she said, as she crawled over to the padding and laid down.

“Alice wasn’t quite as invested in the process as I am.” 

Lorenzo had a basin of water and various soaps and products on the nightstand. He took a large, dry sponge, and dipped it in the basin letting it absorb with water. Alexis braced herself with uncertainty of the water temperature, but when Lorenzo squeezed the sponge and let the water fall on her hair, it was perfectly warm. 

“Mmmm,” she hummed, as his large hands massaged shampoo into her hair and scalp. “You should think of taking up nursing.”

“It’s my full-time job for the next four months.”

His excessive attention to detail must have been more for her pleasure than any practicalities. He used the large sponge to rinse her hair, then, he repeated the process with the conditioner.

“Why Llanview?” he asked as he put a dry towel under her head and wrapped up her hair. 

“Nora Buchanan has a firm she wants me to join. We’ve known of each other by reputation for years, and we’ve hit it off pretty well. She says it’s a good place to raise a family.”

He took the sponge and began wetting her body. 

“Tell me about the house,” he said as he took a bottle of body wash from the nightstand and squirted it into his hands. He rubbed them together, working up a lather before he applied it to her skin. As she spoke, his hands moved down her arms, being far more thorough than he had any right to be. There was no way her body got that dirty sitting around in bed and doing nothing all day.

Alexis told him all about the view of the river from the large patio deck, and its big yard for their baby to play, as his hands explored every inch of her body. She lost her words about the nursery adjacent to the master suite when his hands squeezed her swollen, tender breasts. She took deep breaths to control her arousal, fearful of a repeat of her last orgasm.

Before she got too aroused, he moved to her belly. He caressed her rounded stomach with all the tenderness in the world. Paternal pride radiating from every pore of the man. 

He rolled her on her side and massaged her back with soap as she told him about the nanny Nora was recommending.

“Get me her information, and I’ll check her out.”

“Bo Buchanan is the police commissioner, Lorenzo. He ran a background check on her.”

Lorenzo laughed. “My people are more thorough than the cops glancing at police records.”

She guessed there might be some benefit to having a mobster baby daddy.

He rinsed her upper half before starting on the lower. He dropped down to her feet and began his sensual scrubbing. 

“Is there any sort of border securing the property? A fence? Walls? Anything?”

“There’s a rod iron fence with some kind of vine covering it.”

“I’ll have Ramon swing out today and assess the security enhancements we’ll be needing.”

“Lorenzo,” she sighed, frustrated, “I don’t want our baby living in a compound. I already told you, if you’re going to be in our lives, you can’t be in the business, so why would we need that kind of security?”

She tried not to flinch in embarrassment as he rubbed his way up her legs. She’d noticed the razor and shave gel he had on the nightstand and knew what was coming.

“Well, Princess Cassadine, I’d say there are a lot of good reasons to have a safe and secure home for our family. Helena Cassadine, general criminals, mobsters with grudges and long memories…”

He was right, of course. “Fine. Does that mean we’ll be keeping a security detail with us everywhere we go?”

He nodded. “For the foreseeable future.”

“I hope you’re selling your business for an obscene amount of money to finance our own personal secret service.”

He chuckled darkly. “We couldn’t spend all the money I’ve put away in seven lifetimes.”

His hands were moving northward on her legs…

“Lorenzo…” she warned, knowing his hands near her sex was a bad idea.

“It’s going to have to be done, princess. I won’t give you more than you can handle.”

“Just remember this baby can’t survive if it’s born right now. It needs another month...or four.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I know your body better than you do, baby. You won’t get close to coming, ok?”

“Ok. Fine. Go ahead.”

Lorenzo started with her bottom, bringing his lathered hands underneath her cheeks. Immediately, memories of him prepping her for anal play washed over her, making her moan at the thought of the last mind blowing orgasm he gave her from there. His fingers left no crevice untouched.

“How clean should I get you, princess?” he chuckled. His middle finger teased her puckered hole. She didn’t even put up a fight when he pushed inside. 

Lorenzo must’ve miscalculated the effect it would have on him, because after he shoved in and out a few times, he grunted and pulled back. He stopped touching her entirely and sat on the edge of the bed taking a deep breath. 

“Are you thinking about Valentine’s Day?” she asked. It was her turn to chuckle.

He nodded. “More like all the ways I want to recreate it after you evict the little one from your uterus.”

Lorenzo grabbed the sponge and rinsed her down. His cock was straining in his pants. That had to be uncomfortable. He set the sponge aside and sat on the bed again.

“Did you forget somewhere?” she asked.

“No, I just need a minute to let things settle. And don’t talk to me with your voice all husky like that. I’m exercising a lion’s share of self-control as it is.”

“Is this harder than you thought?” 

He looked at her with a playful smile and laughed. She realized her unintentional pun and snorted. 

Finally he grabbed the soap and worked up a lather to clean her sex. She noticed he initially tried to keep it business. His fingers were stiff and practical. But as soon as she gave off a whimper when he rubbed over her clit, his hands fell into their more natural, sensual massage. He rubbed through her folds and over her outer lips. His eyes fluttered closed as a dramatic sigh escaped his lips.

Me too, she thought.

When his fingers touched her clit again, Alexis closed her legs and said, “Stop.” It was too damn good.

Lorenzo behaved himself and pulled away. He grabbed the sponge to rinse her off.

“You ready for a shave?” he asked.

“Beyond ready.” She was tired of feeling embarrassed every time their legs rubbed against each other. With smooth skin, she’d let him rub against her until they were making sounds like crickets.

After a brief protestation from her, he handed her the razor for under her arms, but he was determined to shave the rest of her himself. He squirted the shave gel into his hand, and worked up a lather. 

“I have a question for you,” he said. While he spoke, he lifted her leg and bent her knee to apply the lather. “Have you thought of a name?”

She smiled. “I’ve done a lot of thinking, but no deciding.”

“What are your thoughts?” 

Alexis watched him run the blade across her skin with intense focus and obvious pleasure.

“I thought of naming her after my mother, but Kristin is too close to Kristina.”

Lorenzo nodded. Seeing as how the baby was going to share DNA with the man who killed her aunt, Alexis rejected the idea.

“Anything else?”

She shrugged. “When I thought she was a boy, I was going to name him after his daddy.”

“Little Lo,” he said amused.

“Exactly.”

“How about Natasha?” he asked. “The little princess.”

Alexis shook her head. “That is a name of a cursed, bastard child. Let’s give her a fresh start.”

“Like Alexis Davis gave herself one.”

“Yeah.” 

Lorenzo worked quietly for a while. After he finished with the straightaways, he straightened her leg and shaved under the back of the knee. She was pleasantly surprised how good he with all the curves and angles of her body. She endured not one single nick. 

He rinsed her down and started in on the other leg.

“When do you want to move to Llanview?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I’d be there now if I could. So, as soon as our girl can handle the trip. Hopefully, I can get it furnished and decorated by then. I’m not looking forward to the hassle.”

As he shaved up her thigh, he offered. “I can have a decorator stop by and you can tell her what you like. She’ll have it done in a month’s time.”

Their eyes met, he looked at her with an indulgent smile. She nodded gratefully. “Besides the whole kidnapper/killer/mob boss thing, you really are a dream come true.”

He laughed and continued his task. As she lay there watching him, she realized what he was saying when he talked about inviting someone in to talk to her.

“You’re going to give me access to the outside world?”

He shrugged. “To my decorator. She’s on my payroll.” But by the lift of the corner of his mouth, she wondered if he was teasing. 

He finished the second leg, and a devious grin played over his mouth. “Spread em, Ms. Davis.”

Alexis shook her head. There was no way she could lay there while he shaved her pussy.

He forced her legs open with ease and held them down as though she had no control over her limbs. She saw him lick his lips staring at her pussy, and all fight gave out. 

“Stay put. Remember, I will be wielding a blade.”

He lathered her up and brought the blade down to her sex. Alexis sat quiet and tense, with her eyes closed, and just felt every stroke of the blade. He maneuvered her skin, lifting her lips, pulling and flattening her folds. He was tender and methodical, and entirely in his element. There was literally nothing more invasive he could do than shave her pussy.

And it was one hell of a turn on...

Finally, he rinsed her clean and admired his handiwork. “Beautiful. Feels like the first time I touched you.”

She smiled thinking of the restaurant. While her mind wandered through that pleasant memory, his head dipped and he licked from bottom to clit.

“Oh God!” she said. Her sex clenched tight and her head started buzzing. He kissed her freshly bare lips, sucking each one into his mouth, caressing them with his tongue. “Stop. Please, Lorenzo, stop. I’m…”

He pulled back and both had to catch their breath. “Sorry, princess. You look so...mmmm. And you taste damn good, too.”

She closed her legs at the hungry look in his eyes. That seemed to bring him to his senses. 

Lorenzo shook his head as if it might put all the pieces of his brain back in place. He grabbed another bottle from the nightstand and lotioned her up. Then, he cleaned up all the padding from the bed. She was surprised to see the fabric underneath completely dry. 

She watched him work with a massive erection that just didn’t seem to want to go away. Part of her considered taking care of it for him, but she was still too aroused from his mouth to trust herself with sexual activity, and she had qualms of sucking off a man who was still technically holding her hostage. 

When the mess was cleared, Lorenzo grabbed a silk nightgown for Alexis. She was growing fond of his preference for silk on her body. 

She brushed her hair as he moved to the desk on the other side of the room. He used a key to unlock one of the drawers before he reached in and pulled out a couple of objects. He walked to her side of the bed, and she noticed one of the objects in his hand was a cord. He plugged it into the wall, then took the other end and plugged it into…

My phone! 

He set it down on the nightstand and walked to his side of the bed. She stared at her phone as he crawled in behind her. 

For the first time since coming to his house, she was fresh, clean, and presentable, yet Lorenzo lay stiff and tense behind her. His hands were firm on her belly. 

She took one last look at the phone, and turned in Lorenzo’s arms to face him. 

She could see the fear in his eyes. He was probably wondering if she was planning on calling Ned.

She was, amongst of few other calls.

But first...Alexis wrapped her arms around Lorenzo’s neck, and kissed him as passionately as she could. For a man who had no interest in consequences or in doing the right thing, he was willing to do right by her, even if it meant losing her. She tried to thank him with her mouth, with her body. So hard to do when she couldn’t make love to him. She hoped he knew what it meant to her o give up his control over her… 

A knock sounded at the bedroom door.

Lorenzo ignored the knock and hooked her leg over his hip, drawing out their kiss before anyone else inserted themselves into their lives.

The person knocked again.

Lorenzo grunted. He obviously wasn’t done accepting her gratitude. Either that, or he was distracting her away from her phone.

“It’s ok, Lo. Go answer the door.” She kissed him once more and squeezed him tight.

It took one more impatient knock for him to pry himself out of bed. When he walked to the door, he looked like he was about to have someone’s head.

Lorenzo opened the door to reveal Ramon. The guard only had one word to say…”Wells.”

Lorenzo sighed deep and turned to Alexis holding up a finger to let her know he’d be a minute. She waved goodbye, wiggling her fingers as he grabbed his coat off the chair before leaving with Ramon.

Her eyes darted straight to her phone. She had calls to make, starting with Ned.

 

______________________________________

 

Alexis found a matching robe to her nightgown in the dresser Socorro put all her clothes into when she arrived. Alexis noticed an entire drawer of Lorenzo’s additions to her maternity bed rest wear. She donned the robe and wandered down the hall. She needed to find someone to notify the guards a guest would be arriving soon. She’d hate to have him gunned down at the gate. She knew how overboard Lorenzo handled potential threats.

The hallways of the house were quiet. She smiled at how unlikely that would be in a few months.

She finally heard mumbling when she got to the stairs. She detected Lorenzo’s tone quickly, but the other voice took a moment to place. She slowly made her way downstairs, careful not to jostle her body too much.

“And they’re taking orders from Sam McCall?” said Lo.

“Yep. Even in her current condition, at least five or six months pregnant, she raising hell. I mistakenly underestimated her.”

Alexis recognized Derek Wells’ voice before she got far enough downstairs to see his face. The two men were sitting adjacent to one another in the sitting room, both with a drink in their hands. They were so different, one in his dark suit with his dark features, emanating danger, and the other looking straight out of Forbes photo shoot in his pale blue-gray suit and Italian leather shoes. 

If she didn’t know the men, and had to pinpoint which one was staying in the mob by their looks, her guess would be completely off the mark.

Her mouth went dry at the sight of those two imposing figures casually conversing about the darkest, most dangerous parts of the Port Charles underworld. She licked her lips and pushed away improper thoughts that invaded her mind. She shook her head to clear the images before she took a tumble down the rest of the stairs.

Lorenzo spoke again, “Well, as you can see, we run a pretty tight ship here securitywise, but I appreciate the message you sent to Ms. McCall about your support for my exit.”

“I’m sure she’s aware you can take care of yourself,” said Wells, “but knowing she’d have to face the full wrath of my organization if she targeted you or your family might give her pause before taking her grief out on you.”

“Thank you. The last thing I need to worry about right now is an attack from that little hoodlum while I’m starting a new life.”

Derek took a deep pull from his glass before he said, “She’s quite a bit more than a hoodlum. The raid she led on my warehouse last night was well organized, and three of my four men that were killed were by her hand.”

“Good to know. What are your plans for her?”

Derek shook his head. “I don’t yet. I nearly finished her off for the inconvenience of the raid, but how could I put a bullet in a woman wearing maternity clothes under her bullet-proof vest? Instead, I took out a few of her personal guards and threatened some of Jason Morgan’s family hoping she’ll back off on her own.”

“I never thought I’d see the day that little runt would run the Corinthos Organization.”

“The McCall Organization,” Derek corrected. “She made that clear last night.”

Lorenzo caught sight of Alexis just as she made it down the stairs. His mouth dropped in concern and he stood to come after her. He dropped his drink off on the coffee table on his way over.

“Alexis, are you ok?” He was at her side in a few strides, an arm around her waist taking weight off her feet.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I just have someone coming over, and I wanted to notify the guards.”

“You could’ve just called me, baby. You shouldn’t be traveling up and down the stairs.”

Derek Wells came over and held out a hand to Alexis. “A pleasure to see you again, Alexis.” His smile was bright and warm.

“A pleasure, Derek.” She shook his hand. Alexis could feel Lorenzo tensing around her as she touched the other man. She wondered if it was fear or jealousy. “I didn’t mean to listen in, but did I hear right? You’re providing protections for us?”

He bowed his head. “Lorenzo has been more than generous with me, and I have no doubt he’ll continue to be an ally in the more legitimate business world. It’s the least I can do.”

He gave her body a once over and his eyes raised in surprise. He looked back and forth between Alexis and Lorenzo. “Are congratulations in order?”

“Indeed,” said Lorenzo with a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m delighted for you both.”

“Thank you.” Lorenzo kissed Alexis on her forehead indulgently. “Alexis, I’ll have Ramon notify the gate you’re having a guest.” He turned to Wells. “Pardon me a moment. Alexis is on bed rest and shouldn’t be scaling the stairs.”

“Of course.”

Lorenzo scooped her up and cradled her to his body. Alexis flushed at the display in front of Wells, but Lorenzo didn’t seem to care about appearances. He was only interested in getting her away from his successor as quickly as possible. 

Alexis wrapped her arms around his neck to help steady herself as he climbed the stairs. He took every step quickly and with ease. She watched Wells eyeing them with a narrowed gaze until they were out of sight. 

Lorenzo strode down the hall and pushed his way through the bedroom door. He didn’t take a breath until he was setting her back on the bed. 

“Hey,” she cupped his cheek, “are you ok?”

He put his hand over hers and nodded. “I don’t like the idea of you around that man. He just killed three men to prove a point to Sam McCall about how lethal he can be.”

“I heard.”

“I don’t want to give him any reason to come after you. Witnessing a confession to his crimes can’t be a good thing.”

“He didn’t seem bothered.”

“You never know with men like him. I know he seemed friendly, but he’s duplicitous as hell. I don’t know who he was before, but he’s only been ‘Derek Wells’ for about fifteen years. And I’m not sure I want to find out. My surest way of protecting you from him is to keep you away.”

She kissed his worried brow. “I won’t fight you on that. I really was just looking for someone, anyone, to tell about my guest.”

Lorenzo looked to her phone on the nightstand like it was a danger to him as much as Derek Wells.

“I need to get back to Wells. I’m signing over the last of the business today.”

“You’re what?” she couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re saying that after today, you’re done? It’s over?”

He smiled at her obvious pleasure. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. And with the increasing hostilities between Sam McCall and Derek Wells, I’ve been reevaluating my assessment of a move to Llanview. I don’t just think it’s a good idea anymore, I think it’s a necessary one. We don’t want our family here caught in the middle of a fight that’s not ours.”

She grinned broadly. “So, it’s happening?”

He nodded, “It’s happening.”

She kissed him hard and giddy. “Then you better go let my notary through the gate. We need to close escrow.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Your notary? I thought Ned was coming.”

She shook her head. “I called Ned to tell him I’m fine, and that I’m sorry for the way you left the divorce papers for him.”

She could see the amusement in his eyes at the image of Ned in that empty room. 

“Some things will never change, I guess,” she said. Then again, she thought of where they started all those months ago. “Some things do.”

He kissed her once more before he stood to return to his meeting. “Stay put,” he ordered. “I have to get back to Wells. Call me if you need something rather than risking a Scarlett O’Hara with our little one.”

“A walk down the stairs is not a great risk, Rhett.”

“Frankly, my dear…”

“Don’t,” she tried to stop him. 

But he plowed on with no small degree of self-satisfaction, “I don’t give a damn.”

“That was terrible,” she laughed.

“Terrible,” he agreed, bending down to press his lips against hers. “But true. Stay put, or I’ll break out those handcuffs early.”

When he tried to pull away, she held tight and kissed him again.

“Mmm,” he hummed. “What was that for?”

“For keeping your promises. For getting out and keeping us safe.” She kissed him again, licking into his mouth. “But mostly for giving me the freedom of choice.”

“If this is the result of listening to you, I might have to start doing it more often.” 

He stood up once again. Alexis noticed his cock straining at his pants yet again. Now that none of his insane behavior was standing in their way, her need to please him dramatically increased. “Oh, I haven’t started giving you your reward.”

“Take it easy, princess. You’re on bed rest.”

She reached up and fisted his cock over his pants. “A little suck and swallow is no overexertion, Lorenzo.”

“The way you do it, it is.”

“Then I’ll just hold still and give you free reign.” She grinned deviously as she saw his eyes flare. She unbuckled his belt.

“Wells is waiting for me, princess.”

“Then cum fast.” She pulled at his button and zipper.

Lorenzo grunted in frustration, but his months and months of celibacy got the better of him. He helped her free his cock and pull his pants down. “You really must like me listening to you.”

Alexis sucked him up enthusiastically and braced her hands on his hips, then she waited for him to fuck her mouth. He stroked the hair out of her face and watched as he pulled slowly out of her mouth, then pushed back in. She relaxed her throat and hummed in encouragement. Gradually, he sped up until he was fucking her throat with short, quick thrusts. It only took a minute for him to come in hot, thick spurts down her throat. He watched in appreciative adoration as she licked up his all his cum. 

Lorenzo bent down and kissed her hard. Then, he pulled up his pants and fastened them. “I’m going to get rid of Wells and the last of my business, then I’m going to come back here and find a way to be everything you need for the rest of your life.”

“Deal,” she said.

He kissed her once more before he left the room.

__________________________________________________

 

Before Lorenzo came back to her, Ramon brought the notary up to her room. Alexis signed the last of the title papers, and sent them off to be filed.

She took a moment and stared at a picture of her new home. She imagined Lorenzo holding a baby girl with black hair and blue eyes on the large deck overlooking the riverside. She wondered if it would be possible to have it all. The family of her dreams in a safe and happy home, a career she could be proud of, and a life that she crafted for herself. No Cassadines or Quartermaines would be there to impose their will, only one or two very stubborn Alcazars who might need some occasional persuading to do things her way.

Her hand dropped to her stomach and pleaded with fate to give her those beautiful dreams. She could handle anything else in the world if she could have that life.


	19. Epilogue: On The Llantano River

Epilogue  
________________

On the Llantano River

_______________________________

 

“Have good weekend, Alexis,” said Nora. “Give that little princess a kiss from Auntie Nora.”

Alexis waved goodbye to Nora at the end of her first week back to work since her maternity leave. She felt rusty and forgetful much of the time, but she figured that was normal with baby brain. It would take her awhile to sweep all the hormones and cobwebs out of her head.

But her thoughts about work were long gone by the time her driver turned on the highway out of town. Her thoughts landed on Lorenzo as they drove down the road that curved alongside the Llantano river. 

One year. She shook her head; she could hardly believe it. It had been one year to the day since Lorenzo Alcazar pulled her in a closet and forced her take charge of her life, to make it one worth living. 

And their little princess was almost 4 months old!

Her thoughts drifted back over the last six months...

After Lorenzo got out of the business, and Alexis bought their house, there was no sense in waiting to move. They had it furnished and they were moved in by the end of the month, just as Lorenzo promised.

And at thirty-six weeks, about a month early, another little Alcazar joined their family. Though she had an extended hospital stay, Alexis would never get the image of Lorenzo holding their baby girl in his hands for the first time. His joy and pride in fathering that little girl was almost a match for her own.

And if Alexis thought for one moment that the diligent caregiver Lorenzo had become during her pregnancy would falter, he proved her wrong. Now that she was the mother of his baby, his efforts only doubled in making sure she was taken care of, that was, when he wasn’t obsessively caring for the new little person in their life.

Her car pulled into the driveway of their fortress, which by the time Lorenzo and Ramon got ahold of it, could have truly passed for one. They erected a stronger barrier around the property, and had armed guards stationed at all four corners.

Her driver pulled up to the front door, and she jumped out of the car eager to get to her baby and her man. She opened the door and listened for any signs of life. 

She heard deep, rumbling laughter off the hall to her left. Lorenzo was in the study. She walked up quietly, wanting to catch a glimpse of him in one of his unfiltered moments of joy. 

“Lo…” said Lorenzo in his deep rumble. Alexis nearly cried the first time she heard him ‘baby talk.’ His low tones softened sweetly whenever he talked to their girl. “Where’s little Lo?...There she she is!”

Alexis played her own little game of peek-a-boo as she poked her head through the doorway to watch her man hide behind a blanket, then pop out again as though out of thin air. 

The sweetest little giggle sounded at his antics, drawing Alexis in like a magnet. 

Alexis wrapped her arms around Lorenzo from behind. His hands immediately dropped to hers. 

“Welcome home, baby,” he said.

“A warm welcome indeed.” She peered into the bassinet to see their brown-haired, blue-eyed girl. Little Lo’s eyes lit up when she saw her mother. She reached and squirmed and squealed until her mother picked her up. “Hello, my sweet girl!”

Greedy little hands pulled at Alexis’s shirt and tiny, precious lips smacked together. 

“Lauryn Davis Alcazar, has your father neglected to feed you?”

Alexis sat down on one of the chairs of the study to nurse her child. Lorenzo grabbed a throw pillow from another chair and propped up her arm so she wouldn’t get tired. 

“She started getting hungry about ten minutes ago,” said Lorenzo. “I figured you’d want to feed her, and she’d prefer the real thing, so I’ve been performing parental gymnastics to keep her distracted in the meantime.”

Alexis laughed, “She has her own personal court jester.”

“Quite a fall from the dark knight rescuing you from your tower.”

“Aww, we both know you were prince charming the whole time.”

Lorenzo sighed in contentment as he watched his girls. He stroked Lauryn’s chunky cheeks as she suckled away. “Lucky girl,” he said. 

Alexis rolled her eyes, but was really so glad Lorenzo was just as enamored with her body now as he was before their baby took a wrecking ball to it four months before.

Alexis looked down at her eager, little, wide-eyed baby, sucking deep from her breast, relieving the pressure built up since the last time she pumped at the office.

“Oh, Lo. I left her milk in the car. I’d hate for it to spoil.”

Lorenzo bent down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

He stood to leave, but hesitated. He bent down once more cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I love you, Alexis Davis.”

“I love you, too, Lorenzo Alcazar.”

He kissed her sweetly, his scruffy beard scratching her cheeks. When he left the office, she moaned in arousal watching his sexy derriere walk away. 

She laughed at him moving the bassinet into the study, as though Lauryn was going to allow him time for work.

After Lauryn drained her second breast, she was fast asleep in her mother’s arms. Alexis stood to hunt down Lorenzo, who had yet to return. She found him on the phone in the kitchen.

“I’d like to make it out there before the semester starts,” he said, his tone all business. 

Alexis looked at him in question.

“Nikolas,” he mouthed.

Ah, she nodded. Lorenzo had reached out to her nephew regarding access to some family artifacts for research he was working on for an academic article on Russian history he intended to publish in the spring.

“I’m hoping Alexis and Lauryn will join me, but you know how anxious your aunt gets about traveling with the baby...I’m not sure. Maybe a long weekend after the New Year.”

Alexis looked out the glass, French doors to the back patio. Her heart leaped in her chest when she saw a table set for a romantic dinner for two next to a roaring fire. She looked back to Lorenzo whose eyes were glittering, and he gave a wink.

Alexis turned to take the baby upstairs to the nursery. She sang little Lo a song and put her down in the crib before grabbing the video monitor and closing the door quietly behind her.

Alexis scurried downstairs to an awaiting Lorenzo. He was pouring himself a glass of scotch. 

“Can I tempt you tonight?” he asked.

She shook her head. She hated throwing away breast milk. It always felt like such a waste. 

“Fine,” he said. “At least take a drink of mine, that way if Lo wakes up, she’ll have a little firewater in her milk to help her sleep through the rest of the night.”

Alexis laughed and pushed his hand away.

“Come here.” Lorenzo grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for a deep, tongue-stroking kiss. 

“Happy Anniversary,” she said when she came up for air.

“Happy, happy, happy,” he said, kissing her again. “How was work?”

She shrugged, “Fine. Good to be back at it, but I feel so out of practice.”

“I give it a month before you’re running the place.”

She loved his faith in her. She took his drink from his hand and took a sip. She let the scotch burn down her throat, and she set the glass down on the counter. 

“Mmmm,” he groaned, and licked deep in her mouth again. In no time at all, he was fucking her on their kitchen table.

Parents of newborn children learn quickly to strike while the iron is hot, so after they fucked on the kitchen table, he took her outside to make love on the double chaise on the patio next to the big, beautiful fire. Their romantic dinner all but forgotten. 

Alexis was naked, and her legs were spread wide. Lorenzo kissed her pussy like he hadn’t tasted her in months, though he just had his mouth on her earlier that morning while they were getting ready for work. She rolled her hips against his face losing her mind with another orgasm.

Lorenzo crawled up next to her, kissing her body the entire way. “Are you sure you want to return to work? We could just keep the sitter and do this all day.”

Alexis snuggled into his arms and seriously considered the possibility before she remember that the reason her last relationship imploded was the loss of her identity. Unfortunately, that probably meant she couldn’t just have sex all day. 

“I have a more realistic suggestion. How about we do this all weekend, and then every night for the foreseeable future?”

Lorenzo’s vibrant blues bored heavily into her eyes. “How about every weekend and every night and everyday of the rest of our lives?”

Alexis smiled, “I’m game.”

She noticed he wasn’t smiling. 

“Lo?”

“I mean it, Alexis. I want you to be mine in every possible way. Forever. I want you to marry me.”

Her eyebrows shot up. A half dozen thoughts raced through her mind before they heard footsteps approaching around the side of the patio. 

“Hold it there!” Lorenzo yelled, sitting up, angry at the intrusion.

A voice called from around the corner. “Sam McCall is at the front gate, sir. Should we let her through?”

“Sam McCall?” said Alexis. “Don’t tell me she hasn’t let this grudge against you go…”

Lorenzo grumbled in frustration. “Let her through. Make sure she doesn’t have any weapons.”

Alexis and Lorenzo hunted down their clothes and put them on quickly before waiting for Sam to show up on their doorstep. 

“What if she’s still angry, Lorenzo? What if she wants to get even?”

Lorenzo hugged her from behind and kissed her on top of her head. “Don’t worry, princess. I won’t let anything happen to us. If Sam can’t let things go, Wells and I will take care of it.”

For the first time since she met Lorenzo, she didn’t chide him for making a death threat. Anything to keep her baby girl safe from harm.

They stood at the front door and waited for Sam to arrive. Sam drove up on a motorcycle, and pulled up close to the front door. She was such a tiny figure to cause so much stress and anxiety in this family’s life.

Lorenzo opened the door to let her through. Sam gave him a snarling glance before turning her attention to Alexis. 

“I bet you’re wondering why I’m here?”

Alexis nodded. 

“Don’t talk to her,” said Lorenzo. “If you’ve got a problem with me, take it up with me. Alexis has done nothing wrong here.”

Sam sneered at Lorenzo and turned back to Alexis. “I’m not here for him. I’m here for you.”

“Oh?”

“I need your help.”

Alexis was truly astonished. That was the last thing she expected to hear from the likes of Sam McCall. “What can I possibly do to help you? And why on Earth would I agree to do it?”

Sam stepped up close to Alexis and stared her straight in the eyes. “I need to swab your cheek for DNA.”

“I’m sorry...You need to what?” She couldn’t have possibly heard right.

“And I need to swab your baby, too.”

“Like hell you are!” said Lorenzo, stepping in between Alexis and Sam. 

It looked as though Sam was holding back with every bit of restraint she could muster.

“Why?” said Alexis. 

Sam took a few heavy breaths, and all the sudden, a sob escaped her lips. Lorenzo looked taken aback. 

“My son, Danny,” she said. “My baby…” The words were heavy, as though it was taking every ounce of courage and humility she had for her to say them. “He needs a bone marrow donor. He has Leukemia. I need to find a match.”

Alexis shook her head, “I’m so sorry, Sam. But I don’t understand. Why? Why me? Why my baby?”

Sam’s lip turned downward as if she was having to say something that gave her great pain. “Because...I think...I know...Danny is your grandson.”

Alexis shook her head. “That’s not possible.” The poor, desperate girl. Or maybe this was all some great manipulation...

Sam pulled a piece of paper from her jacket pocket. “Alexis Davidovitch...or Natasha Cassadine...or Alexis Davis Alcazar...or whoever you are! I regret nothing more than finding out the one person I want dead more than anyone else in the world might be the only person who can save my son!”

It made sense Sam wanted her dead. Lorenzo took the love of her life away from her, and she wanted to do the same to him.

Lorenzo took the paper from Sam. He opened it to find a yearbook page. Alexis recognized it at once. 

“You think I’m your mother?”

“I tracked my birth mother down to a private school. Briarton Griggs. Only one girl left the school long enough in 1980 to have a baby. Alexis Davidovitch. It’s you. It has to be you.”

Alexis looked in Sam’s eyes, bloodshot and swollen, colored with rage and fear.

No...not her first baby girl…

Alexis looked back to Lorenzo. Everything they’d worked for...separating themselves from Port Charles, from the mob, from Sam McCall and Derek Wells...keeping Lauryn away from that life…

It was all crumbling down.


End file.
